Blue and White, Intertwined
by xXxAnGeLFLoNnExXx
Summary: During the Exwire graduation, a man named Millenium Earl came from the past and took over the world with the 'Akuma'. Mephisto had given Rin one of the last few Innocence fragments from the Holy War, in exchange of his demon side. He was sent back in time to defeat the Earl before he time-travelled. Rin's arrival has affected the war's outcome, more than he will ever know.
1. Ch 0: Prelude

**Hello, people! **

**It's a miracle, I'm not dead yet.**

**I've been procrastinating these few months, plus with college? Well, life has been hectic for me. I'm also having a bad case of Writer's block and lost inspiration to continue my other stories. Sheesh, I need to write more.**

**I just need to get this idea out of my head!**

**During my Writer's block, I've watched Blue Exorcist and read the manga again. I also read my favorite DGM fanfics, like "Deviance" by Moyashi-neechan which was about Allen becoming a Bookman apprentice~.**

**Thus, the story was born.**

**I'll probably use a different approach on this one.**

**Anyways, Cross's first name will be Marian (just for the heck of it) instead of the other way around. There will also be hints of DGM's pilot chapter, ZONE. This is also Rin-centric.**

**Warning: **Has **no pairings** at the moment, but if it had, it would be **Yaoi****.**

* * *

**~Prelude~**

_**He Who Leapt Through Time**_

* * *

Rin, currently trapped in a four year-old body, glared at the crescent moon in the midst of the serene, pitch black night.

_Literally_, pitch black.

He couldn't see a damn thing but the clearing he was in and that stupid chunk of rock in the sky that seemed to glow even brighter, sympathizing with his demise.

Psh. Yeah, right.

For a split second, the moon looked as if it had a face with a crooked, sinister smile and eyes that mocked him. It might have been just a delusion of his weary mind, but he knew better. The half-demon trusted his instincts more than anything.

_'Heh, half-demon… if I could still call myself as one.'_

His hands trailed up to his ears which used to be pointed, and fangs that were no longer sharp. Because of the moonlight, he saw the shadow of his tail; and he had it not because of demon blood, but because of some rock called Innocence.

It wasn't his imagination, after all.

_He was bloody all over, and star-shaped symbols started to appear on his pale skin. His own clothes were singed— it looks like he had also harmed himself from his previous outburst._

_"Rin, I trust that you'll put this to good use." _

_Mephisto no longer had that usual smirk on his face. It meant that even he, didn't foresee the attack. He brought out a glowing green stone from his pocket. Somehow, the teen was enraptured by the sheer amount of power that it radiated._

_"W-What's… that…?" Pentacles had also appeared on Rin's neck. It was strange on how slow the markings appeared compared to others. The same also happened with Yukio. The clown himself was also shot, but appeared to be immune. Maybe it was because of their demon blood._

_"Innocence. This will hurt, but it'll be worth it, dear brother." _

_The principal had pressed the stone—Innocence—on the gaping wound on his abdomen. The poisoned bullet was already removed, but the effects lingered. A faint green glow encompassed the half-demon, and ghostly tendrils shot out from it, going inside the wound. Rin opened his mouth to scream, but he was out of energy, so no sound came out._

_Slowly, the fragment of Innocence had disappeared from Mephisto's hand and his blood had a greenish tint on them, which also had started to fade— no matter how impossible that might be. His wound began to close and a slight smog came from Rin's body. His fangs and ears were back to normal. His tail, oddly, was still there. The clown hummed._

_"Ah, looks like the Innocence gave you a demonic side-effect, but completely rid you of your demon blood."_

_Rin groaned as he sat up._

_"Light your flames, Rin."_

_The teen, though exhausted and confused, did as told. Mephisto tapped his chin while he gathered energy in his other hand. "It also seemed to manifest your demonic capabilities. Oh well, not my problem~."_

_He had his usual smirk on his face. He was back to being one of the biggest banes in Rin's life, it seems. The older demon pressed his hand on the ex-demon's forehead. "As much as I would like to toy with the mastermind of _my_ play's _improvisions_," He snarled. "I don't want to do the dirty work."_

_His smirk got bigger._

_"So, you'll do it for me~." Before Rin could protest, Mephisto had already said the chants for his power to activate. "He who lives in the shades of gray, shall go to the origins in which the Earl plays. Ein, zwei, drei~!" _

_The clown tossed Yukio's pistols towards him._

_"Mephisto, you—"_

_And he was gone. _

Normally, when he remembered stuff like that, he would get angry. However, other events flashed in his mind and a grimace was set on his face. The raven-haired child stared at his hands; hands that were stained in blood—_his twin's blood_—just days ago. Rin bit his lower lip in worry.

_Yukio…_

His younger brother, his poor twin, had taken a bullet for him. A bullet coated in poison pierced through the other's body, spilling his blood everywhere, before his body was covered in pentacles and disappeared.

Yukio's body had disintegrated into dust right in front of him, _and he fucking didn't do anything._

Though the images were forever carved in his mind, he couldn't bring himself to cry. Not anymore. Not now, because he no longer had tears to shed. Not ever, because he had already sobbed his eyes out.

He had remembered his last moment.

_The night sky was filled with balloon-like creatures, machines that seemed to be alive. The monsters had floated towards the gathering, their graduation. Rin, along with his fellow cram schoolmates, were officially Exorcists. His mentor, Kirigakure Shura, was out on a mission with the current Paladin, Arthur Auguste Angel. She wasn't able to attend, but it was still a joyous event. Their happiness was short-lived, unfortunately, when they were caught off-guard by the monsters._

_The monsters had first appeared in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, and it seemed that they chose Japan as their first target._

_The exorcists, both old and new, had tried their best to destroy them. However, only the blue flames of the Okumura twins and the attacks from the demon familiars were effective. Even Holy Water did not do a thing to them!_

_Out of Rin's circle of friends, Shiemi was the first to fall down._

_Her familiar, the Green Man Spirit, was covered in pentacles along with the blond-haired Tamer. They both turned into dust._

_It was the first shot, and many bullets soon followed. One by one, the Exorcists plummeted to their doom._

_Bon, along with Shima and Konekomaru, did their best but were stabbed by a humanoid monster. It called itself a Level 2._

_Giant monsters with ebony bodies and pentacles on their foreheads had let loose rays of pure energy. Godaiin and Takara did not escape unscathed along with Kuro, Rin's familiar._

_Izumo and Paku were killed by the monster with a halo on top of its head. It was the most human-like of them all._

_Soon, it was just the twins left._

_A fat man in a suit wearing a top hat had the biggest grin on his face, appearing in the middle of the wasteland. He hummed, looking very pleased with the destruction around him. The man's grin widened at the sight of the snarling half-demons. "I am the Millenium Earl, here to kill you pesky humans." He bowed before sending a wave of dark orbs towards them. The creatures' attacks also zeroed-in on them._

_"Nii-san, watch out!" Yukio pushed Rin away, taking the full brunt of the attacks. A bullet from one of the monsters impaled the younger twin on his back and the dying brunet fell on his older brother's lap, staining Rin with his blood. _

_"I love you, Nii-san. You're the best… brother I… could ever have…" Pentacles appeared on the other's pale skin before he turned into dust. Rin could only stare at his bloody hands, rendered motionless. This gave the creature a chance to attack the half-demon. Another bullet was fired, and it was lodged on his chest._

_That was enough to pull him back from his stupor._

_"Yukio…!"_

_The world exploded in azure flames._

He didn't remember anything afterwards, except for that moment when Mephisto and Amaimon appeared and took him away. He vaguely realized that the green-haired demon had stayed behind to prevent the monsters from following.

Rin shut his eyes, but his tears were frozen. He felt numb, hurt, and exhausted. He stood up from his position and took a good look at himself. He was still wearing his clothes from the graduation, but the blood stains, the burns and rips were gone. His wound seemed to be healed. _'Probably because of that Innocence thing.'_

He looked around and saw Yukio's pistols. He tried to fire it, but no bullets came out. Rin also checked his person to search for any belongings. All he found was a photo from his coat's inner pocket: a picture of him, Yukio, and Shiro from his childhood.

Rin felt dead when he saw them. He felt like a hand was squeezing his heart out. Clenching his fists, he returned the photos to their original place and pocketed his twin's weapons. He also checked his left wrist, which had blue squiggly lines around it; similar to the storage seals that Shura used. It was something he learned from the always-drunk woman to store Kurikara. After all, it was a hassle to carry it when demons can steal it from him before he could unsheath the sword.

There was no time to mope. Mephisto had sent him in the middle of nowhere to do his dirty work and defeat that fatso named Millenium Earl. Just thinking of the man made his blood boil in rage. Blue flames immediately covered his fists. Rin shook his head and the flames dissipated.

He felt lost.

Everybody was gone.

He had no idea where to start.

If Yukio was in his place, what would he have done? _'Yukio, please tell me what to do.'_

* * *

It has been days since Rin decided to wander around the forest, wherever it was. It was no use being all depressed and angsty. It wouldn't have done any good.

He hunted animals using Yukio's guns. The raven-haired male learned how to channel his flames through mediums in cram school (courtesy of Shura). His aim still sucked, but it couldn't be helped since his meister was Knight and Tamer (for Kuro). The ex-halfling decided to search for an exit; proving it to be futile, much to his dismay.

However, it seemed that Lady Luck was giving him her blessing that faithful day.

He had finally gotten out of the forest. Not only that, he actually got to a town! The dirty raven-haired child ran to civilization with glee. Said glee was short-lived, though, because none of the people bat an eyelash towards the poor street rat. Another thing to boot, Rin had no idea what he was going to do now.

At times like this, he remembered the day back when he was just your regular teenager who dropped out of school to look for a job. _'That's it!'_

But what kind of place would hire a four year-old kid? Rin didn't realize that fact until he had actually gone job-hunting and he was questioned on what he could do.

As stated before, Lady Luck was on his side that day. A circus was in town. The raven-haired kid knew that places like the circus weren't picky about who (or even what, in some cases) they hire, as long as they get the job done. Circuses also tend to be fun, based on prior experience when he had gotten a part-time work as a crew member.

Rin headed for the town plaza where it was situated in.

* * *

"Yer sure you can work, lad?" A burly man had his arms crossed, scrutinizing the small Asian (at least he thinks so, he wasn't really sure what they looked like) kid in front of him. "We've got it rough 'ere. No offense, lad, but—" He took ahold of Rin's arm. "—yer a bit on 'ta scrawny side." The child pouted at that. Hey, he was scrawny, but he had discovered days ago that he still had his flames _and_ his unnatural strength— meaning that he was no pushover. As a matter of fact, he had already gotten into a scuffle with some brats (he _was_ mentally older) who thought they were some hotshot delinquents.

"Look," Rin was forever thankful to whatever deity was up there that the man spoke English and that Yukio drilled the language to his head. "I can do whatever you want. Carry stuff, help, clean, cook— especially cook!" He had snatched his arm away from the adult, and placed his hands on his hips. "I'll have you know that I'm very confident in my cooking skills!" The mole-eyed four-eyes did mention that it was his only talent, making him snort inwardly.

"Cooking, eh?" The adult had an interested glint in his eyes. "Yer really confident 'bout it?"

"Of course! I can make you anything, as long as you give me food and a place to stay."

The burly man tapped his chin for a while before grabbing Rin from the scruff of his collar, earning him a yelp from the boy. "Better make sure I ain't regrettin' ya joinin' the troupe."

Rin smirked. "You don't know who you're dealing with, old man."

* * *

Two years had passed since Rin was accepted by the burly man a.k.a his boss, named Frederick Gheisecht. The guy was actually the manager and main backbone of the circus's backstage crew. Not long after he was hired, Rin had stupefied everyone with his cooking prowess and inhuman strength; making him the official Cook (they didn't have one, settling with eating badly-made grub) and the second backbone of the backstage crew.

It wasn't long before Rin found out where or what _time_ he was in. He was back in the beginning of the 19th century! It took him days before he had finally calmed down and became comfortable with the thought that he was _alone_ (figuratively) and stuck in the past.

Anyways, back to the circus.

They had been travelling a lot. Rin first met the circus in Wales before they headed to the other European countries. Right now, they were in London, England. Roderick went to the market place since they had ran out of food supply and props. The raven-haired kid lazily glanced at his workmates.

They had Oliver Andrews, the English ringleader; Klaud Nyne, the blond-haired animal tamer with a creepy monkey named Lau Jimin; Yubel, Rina, and Charlotte Corvino as the contortionist triplets; there was also Ilda and Hyde—both with no surnames—along with Vlad Bosconovitch, Yuri Volkov, and Elma Karnikoff: the Russian acrobats. Their clowns were Renato and Martin, the coffee-obssessed Italians; Juviel, the overdramatic Australian and the first Auguste clown; Edward, the multi-tasking second Auguste clown and juggler; and Cosimov, the grumpy star of the show.

For the backstage crew, they had Frederick, Rin, and the mysterious Robin who had unnatural light-colored hair, a scar halfway down the left side of his face, and the one who always wore long-sleeved clothes and gloves— not that Rin cared, though (and so did Klaud). Rin, Klaud, and Robin were probably the most open-minded ones around the circus.

Still, the circus family may not be the most welcoming family, but they were family all the same— even if the raven-haired kid did not get along with some of them.

Anyways, from time to time, they do come across from the occassional 'for-hire' clowns and street performers— who join the circus for a few weeks at most.

Rin thought that their troupe would not get even bigger, since they haven't hired any permanent members since he came. Oh, how wrong he was. He probably met the most bizarre one out of them all.

It was just another day until his boss came from his shopping trip, bringing a boorish-looking brat with him. He wore tattered clothes and his auburn hair was sloppily tied in a ponytail. What made him odd was the kid's left arm: it was red, deformed, and a glowing green cross was embedded on the back of his hand. Rin would be lying if he didn't say he was baffled by the abnormal limb, but he didn't pay much attention to it. No matter how ugly it was, an arm is an arm (though personally, he found it badass _and_ he'd seen worse).

He gazed at the others from his periferal view and saw their faces. Majority had faces of fear and disgust to indifference. Rin figured that he was of the latter ones. However, the most frightening face was Cosimov's— not only did he saw open repulsion, he also had a scary gleam in his eyes; those of sadism and interest. He didn't need to be as smart as his younger twin to know that the clown had plans for their new prospect; and he knew he wouldn't like it one bit.

"Yer see 'ere—" Frederick pushed the boy towards them. "Tis gonna be one o' us. Brat begged me 'ta give 'im work." Said brat scoffed when the boss told them he 'begged'. He did not beg.

The burly man then stared pointedly at Rin. "Yer make sure he gets 'ta job done. I ain't keepin' useless little twats runnin' 'round 'ere." And the manager left, whispering about demon arm and ungrateful kids.

Once he was out of view, the crew burst into hushed small talks; how a kid with an inhuman arm was with them, how the kid was a freak and someone they needed to stay away from, and how he was obviously a demon spawn. The last one made Rin angry. Even if they were his new family now, _that_ wasn't the way to talk about someone— especially if it was just a kid like him… and a newcomer, to boot!

Rin decided to approach the kid and held out his hand in front of him. "Nice to meet you, I'm Rin! What's your name?" _That_ made everyone stop and stare at the two rugrats. The brunet seemed shocked and uncomfortable. "Dun' have one, dun' need one," He murmured, eyes looking at anywhere but the raven-haired boy.

"Hey, don't leave me hanging." He still had his hand in midair. The newcomer glanced at his left hand, ready for a shake. His eyes darted to his own left, deformed hand. Reluctantly, he shook hands with the bubbly kid; whose smile widened at his acceptance.

Rin paused thoughtfully as he broke contact with the other. "Well, if you don't have a name, I'll just call you Red—" He pointed at the other's limb. "like that cool-looking arm of yours!" The black-haired child really had to think of a better name; his naming sense sucks.

The newly-named 'Red' shyly peered at him. "Y-Yer really think it's cool?" No one had ever said that about his arm. To be honest, he himself loathed it. The Japanese boy chuckled. Red had a funny accent for a genuine English citizen, same with Frederick. Oliver was one too, but he didn't speak like them. Even Rin had a better grasp of speaking coherently, and he was Japanese.

"You bet, I do!"

A lot protested at that. "Why would you like that _thing_," The ringleader pointed his finger and sneered at the auburn-haired boy. "which is obviously a demon spawn!"

"He's got a point there, mate," Juviel agreed. "his arm gives me the heebie-jeebies!"

Most of them nodded at that statement. The raven-haired boy ignored the sickening churn in his stomach at his remark. Red was just a kid like him. He expected better of them. Their expressions pissed him off.

He slightly growled at them. "You don't seem to mind Robin with his scary scar, though." Rin glances at the light-colored helper. "No offense, you're awesome." Robin just snorted at that, but nodded in acknowledgment.

"Robin's different!" Charlotte all but whispered, standing up. When she felt eyes on her, she immediate blushed and sat back down. "I mean, he's nice and all that." There were murmurs of agreement.

Rin frowned. "Well, don't judge my new buddy Red!" He got angry, grabbed Red's left hand and dragged him out of the tent. The new kid had a confused expression but did not protest.

Klaud sighed and shared a look with Robin. They both shook their heads at the stubbornness of the troupe.

Outside of the tent, the raven-haired boy was still fuming. "What right do they have to say things like that?" The normally rude street brat had no idea what to say. He was caught dumbfounded by his new self-proclaimed 'friend'.

Rin stared at him. Blue clashed with gray. "You should stand up for yourself!"

He shrugged. "It's not somethin' I ain't used 'ta."

Rin's frowned even more. Somehow… Red reminded him of himself, all those years ago. They would call him demon—Satan's spawn, even! And it was true (not that they knew, though). People would shun him before they tried to know what he was really like. Wherever he went, he was looked at with anger, contempt, and fear. The only people who treated him differently were Shiro, Yukio, and the rest of the Church members.

"Well, you shouldn't be. Learn how to defend yourself," Red watched him speak in awe, though he tried to hide it. It was as if Rin spoke from experience (he has no idea how right he was). "and don't let them walk all over you. Don't give up because—"

The auburn-haired boy took over. "no matta' what, there will always be somethin' better out there." Red stared at the horizon. "Do ya… do ya think I'll fit in 'ere? 'Ey dun' seem 'ta like me."

"Those guys might be jerks," Rin jammed a thumb towards his back, where the tent was. "but Klaud and Robin are awesome. If they do try anything funny on you," He cracked his fists. "I'll be here to help."

The pair laughed heartily.

From that day on, a new friendship was born.

* * *

It wasn't long before Rin and Red became inseparable.

They were best friends; almost like brothers. The pair always had each other's backs. Though Red was still unwelcome in the circus, Rin was enough company for him. Not only that, they were a few people who had learned to love the stubborn, untrusting brunet: the animal tamer, Robin, and the contortionist triplets.

That did not mean that he was completely protected from scorn and harm. People like Cosimov and Oliver had not taken kindly to the troupe's acceptance (albeit majority was indifferent about it). The ringleader would simply spat harsh words towards Red, but the clown would beat him up for his sick, twisted pleasure. Both had also bullied Rin around before, and it had just gotten worse.

And just a year after their friendship, Klaud had left with men dressed in long brown uniforms that covered their whole bodies; meaning they had less protection.

Still, no matter what went their way, they were attached to their hips.

They promised that they would be friends forever, and one will never abandon the other.

However, their friendship didn't last when a man named Mana Walker came to the troupe; when Allen was 7 and he was 8.

At first, Rin regarded him with indifference, since he was just a travelling clown who was Frederick's temporary hire. He liked to play with the man's dog, Allen, though.

Because of his talent and natural charisma, Mana took Cosimov's spot as the star of the show. The grumpy clown did not take it well. He had resorted to taking out his frustrations on the two kids of the circus— but mostly Red, since he despised the brunet's existence.

Then one day, Cosimov beated Allen to death. He had caught Red and Mana talking in front of the dog's makeshift grave. The raven-haired child may be book-dumb, but he was sensitive to emotions and gestures. He knew that gleam in the brunet's eyes; it was the same gleam that had brought them together as best friends. That gleam of acceptance and kinship— it was directed to the older man, even if Red tried to deny it.

Eventually, Red was beaten to the floor along with the clown and they left.

Rin knew it was childish, but he hated Mana Walker.

He hated how the man easily made everyone love him with his polite personality— though he wouldn't admit it, he had came to like the man.

He hated how he was warmly welcomed without a question; it wasn't fair, both he and Red were interrogated and met with suspicious gazes when they joined the circus.

He hated how Mana had swept his family away, one by one. Nobody had paid attention to him whenever Mana was in the vicinity; and that included his favorite big brother figure Robin.

He hated how jealous he was of him— from the way he dressed to the way he carried himself, from his talents to his personality, from his cleverness to charm.

He hated how hard it was to dislike the man; it was near impossible to despise him, unless you were Cosimov, who hated almost everything.

And most of all…

He hated how Mana took away his best friend within the blink of an eye; making Red throw away the name that Rin had given him, and making him break the only promise they shared.

So maybe he was jealous; petty, immature— but Rin couldn't help it.

It hurts.

It hurts that his best friend had discarded that precious endearment that he had bestowed upon him, like it was just a title.

It hurts that the brunet had left him for Mana, even though he swore that he would never abandon him; just like what he would do for the brunet.

It hurts that Red had replaced him with a man whom he didn't even know for a long time—

And he didn't even say goodbye, let alone spare him a single glance.

_"Red!" Rin yelled. "Red!"_

_He ran towards the brown-haired child who was following the new clown, Mana. They were leaving the circus campsite._

_The brunet simply ignored him, staring at his new guardian. The man smiled warmly at the child. "Let's go." He nodded and returned the man's smile. The raven-haired boy froze. Red never did that for anyone, only for him— and on rare occassions, too._

_What was so special about Mana Walker that made the brunet act this way? He didn't understand._

_"Red," He continued to run. "wait up!" He finally caught up to them, grabbing Red's left hand. Mana had walked a feet away to give them some space. "Where… where are you going? Let's go back with everyone! I can make them beg and apologize, you know."_

_His best friend did not turn, did not look at him. "M'name isn't Red," He started. "It's Allen, now." He pulled his hand from the other's grip and returned to Mana's side. The two left. Rin sunk down to his knees, staring at the pair as they walked off, never to come back._

_Red, or 'Allen', hadn't said anything to him._

_Why?_

_He felt betrayed, but the raven-haired boy willed himself not to feel anything. He bit his lower lip and tried to make sense of his friend's departure. "He's… he's found his 'something better'."_

_Rin smiled as tears silently fell from his face._

_"And one day, I'll find mine."_

_However, when he stood up and turned away, he didn't see Mana carrying Allen in his arms— for the boy cried so hard that he couldn't walk forward. The brown-haired boy had bawled when he heard Rin spoke after he didn't say his farewell. He knew that he wouldn't be able to handle it if he said anything. He would cry so hard, and he didn't want the other to see him sad. It would just make the other miserable, too._

_It hurts to know that Rin's life would be better without him. He knew that Cosimov and the others wouldn't treat him harshly anymore. It also hurts to leave your only friend in the world, but there was no other choice._

_It was for the best._

_And so, a bond was broken._

* * *

Rin was 9, when he decided that he's had enough of the loneliness, Cosimov and the circus.

He just couldn't bring himself to keep people close since Red—_'Allen,'_ he berated himself—left him for good.

Robin was gone, too. He had left with a man named Marian Cross, who introduced himself as an Exorcist—whatever that was—wearing the robes of a priest underneath a coat with golden linings and a weird insignia. He also destroyed the image of priests for Rin because he was smoking and had a permanent scowl on his face. The man had long, wavy hair of the reddest shade he had ever seen. _Red. Allen. _It reminded him to much of the brunet.

The pair had gone off to travel the world and search for some weapon named Abaddon and Cross was muttering something about an 'innocence', 'black odor', 'acne', and something about an 'earl', whatever that was. Was he talking about Earl Grey tea, its smell, and how it gives Cross acne? And what was that small bit about 'innocence'? Was he planning on using the tea and its acne-inducing odor to deflower someone?

How the hell he came up with that conclusion, Rin could honestly say that he had no idea.

Yukio was right, he was an airhead with an insane imagination.

Anyways, Frederick hadn't liked the idea of him leaving, but there was nothing the man could do. He didn't have legal guardianship over Rin which he was thankful for, because he would be able to go wherever he wanted without anyone stopping him.

For Rin, one encounter, one chance.

Once you meet someone along the way, chances are: you'll never meet him or her ever again; unless they meet three times like in that show he used to watch in the future, that would simply be the work of Fate— even if he didn't believe in it.

He didn't foresee the likeliness that he would run into someone he hadn't seen for two years.

It was just a normal day for Rin. He had been doing his routine: eat, train, eat, train, work, wander, sleep. He had been taking all sorts of jobs ranging from cooking to playing messenger boy up to carrying things for people. He didn't expect to run into a balloon-like monster that killed people. Rin, of course, wouldn't let that slide. He had attacked it with his blue flames and Yukio's guns. However, it seemed to have called for back-up.

It was already hard to kill one, how about twenty more?

It was official.

He was gonna die, and he didn't even reach 10. However, a familiar face had saved him from his demise. Rin had no idea how to react on the other's appearance.

It was Klaud Nyne, with Lau Jimin perched on her shoulder, wearing the same gold-lining coat that Cross had. What was the likelihood of meeting the animal tamer again _and_ discovering the fact that she was an Exorcist now?

None. Nada. Nai. Wala. Zilch.

And _holy shit_, her pet transformed and beated the crap out of the monsters.

The blond-haired woman had checked up on him, to see if he was harmed in any way.

"That. Was. Awesome!" Rin's eyes had sparkled back then. Typical. "How did you do that?"

He was 100% fine in Klaud's books, and that was all that mattered at the moment.

It was then and there that Rin had learned what it meant to be an Exorcist, what Innocence was (who came up with that term had bad naming sense, not that he was any better), what the Black Order did ("Oh, so that's what he meant by 'black odor'," He laughed. Klaud had given Rin a blank stare), Akuma, and the Millenium Earl. The ex-tamer had offered him to become her apprentice.

Hearing the name of the man he despised the most from their earlier chat, he had agreed immediately. He thought it was impossible to hate someone more than Satan, but it seems that the Earl guy (he now knows it wasn't tea) had taken arseholery—he had picked it up from Allen—to a whole new level.

"I have finally found my 'something better'," He murmured.

Rin was ready to learn how to kick the Earl's fat ass.

* * *

Three years had passed since he had entered apprenticeship under Klaud's wing.

Three years had passed since he was taught on how to master his Innocence.

Three years had passed since he was lectured about the many ways on how to pummel the fatso.

Three years had passed since he had finished his training.

And three years had passed since he had unofficially become an Exorcist.

* * *

"Klaud, don't go!" The twelve year-old Rin whined pathetically, clinging onto the General's legs. He didn't care if they were in public, let alone in a train station where everyone was looking at them. "I'm not ready to be an Exorcist yet!"

"Fool!" The blond-haired woman smacked him, making him loosen his hold abruptly. The raven-haired boy rubbed the back of his head, his eyes teary from the pain. "That really… friggin' hurt…"

"It wasn't my fault you were acting like a baby," Klaud huffed and crossed her arms as she watched the whining of her only student— she had other apprentices (assigned to her), but she taught none of them but Rin. The past years had been the longest three years of her life. She did everything she can for the boy she considered her son.

Rin had been stubborn and impatient, which was probably due to his young age, despite being a great student. He didn't learn very well when she taught him through lectures, but he excelled on practical lessons. He was the type to learn on impromptu, preferring to do hands-on training than to sit on a chair and listen to people babble about how things work.

He had also shown proficiency with swords and guns, making him a formidable foe in both melee and ranged combats; though he liked to use his own personal blade on strong opponents only, saying something about the sword being a present from his 'old man'. He had also mentioned once that the guns used to be his younger brother's, but he was long dead; and the look on his face made Klaud end their talk.

Despite his shortcomings and misgivings, she was proud of him.

Klaud Nyne was proud to know and teach Rin Okumura.

She could never have a better student than him.

"B-But—!" Rin pouted at her, but he won't admit that he did. He's stubborn like that. "Fine." He sat cross-legged on the ground. The pair had a staring contest before the raven-haired apprentice broke the silence.

"So… I'm going to the Order now?" He scratched his head and winced; Rin expected a bump would be there by tomorrow. "I'm gonna be an official Exorcist then."

His mentor's eyes softened. "Yes, if you think you are ready." She pulled him up and patted away imaginary dust from his clothes. "Being an Exorcist is a serious job, and it may very well be the cause of your death. That is why…" She trailed off.

"Why what?"

"That is why I will have you join the Order, but as a Finder." _For now_ was not needed to be spoken. They had come to mutual understanding. Both of them knew that he hadn't made up his mind about participating in the Holy War. Was he ready to give up his freedom? Was he ready to make sacrifices for the sake of the Order? "Once you make up your mind, you can either accept it or back off— it's your choice, Rin."

"I get it." Though he really wants to get revenge on the Earl, being a part of the Holy War is no laughing matter. He has to be completely serious and dead-set on this if he wants to continue. Rin bows to Klaud. "It has been good being your student, Klaud-sensei." Rin only addressed Klaud as such when he's serious or when they're training. He didn't call her Teacher, Mentor, or Master because he had been accustomed to Japanese traditions; even if he lived 12 years of his life away from his Asian origins.

"You have done good, Grasshopper." It was running gag between them. Rin had once told Klaud about the Chinese way of the mentors to address their students that he watched from TV. The ex-half-demon gave a bright smile to his master. She was awesome, and she deserved every bit of respect he could give her.

The sound of a train approaching broke off their stare. They quickly exchanged nods before Rin turned and got on the transportation. The raven-haired Exorcist-to-be chose a window seat that was facing Klaud's side of the train. He waved at his mentor as the conductor had announced their departure. "Bye, Klaud!"

The blond-haired woman waved back. "I have already given a letter to the Order. Just ask for someone named Komui Lee and say that I sent you there. Good luck, Rin."

She watched as the train sped away.

* * *

Rin stared at the Black Order HQ, European branch. "Wow, that is one huge ass building. Do Exorcists even need that much space?" It was the biggest thing that he had ever seen; rivalling True Cross Academy and the giant Gehenna Gate back in his original time.

He smiled and walked towards the ominous infrastructure. Klaud said something about a waterway directly beneath the European branch.

It's showtime.

* * *

He enjoyed staying at the HQ, and quickly discovered that people there can see his tail.

Why?

It was because Rin met Komui Lee, the Head of the branch and psychotic scientist with a bad case of sister-complex, who was smart and composed when needed but was more trouble than what he was worth; as jokingly quoted by some of the scientists. Komui had done a survey, and it seemed that people exposed to or have Innocence (maybe even Dark Matter) could see it; meaning, everyone in the Order can. Rin doesn't need to hide his tail because of this fact; he used to think everyone could see it.

Reever Wenhamm, the Science department Head, also grumbled about Komui's lack of regard for work. Most of the time, he was doing all the paperwork along with the other scientists while the Chinese supervisor went off somewhere— doing experiments or building robots of mass destruction.

There was also Johnny Gill, Tapp Dopp, Number 65, Jake Russell, and many others that were friendly and reliable in the order. They were also, unfortunately, at the other end of Komui's mayhem more often than not.

Rin had befriended a few of the Exorcists there.

They had Lenalee Lee, Komui's precious darling, who used an Equip-type Innocence called Dark Boots. Though she was sweet and nice, she can also be scary; especially when something happened to her friends or when her brother did something stupid. More of the latter, though. She and Rin often got together on missions because he was one of the few finders around her age. Her brother stalked him because of this, and only got him off his tail when Lenalee confronted Komui herself.

He quickly became best buds with Daisya Barry, who used an Innocence named Charity Bell, which was attached to the end of his hair. He used this like a soccerball. Rin once asked why he did, and learned that Daisya's favorite sport was Soccer. The pair often played it in the training room when a certain grumpy samurai wasn't around, and he can keep up with the other because of his own Innocence (not that anyone knows; except for the Heads, Reever, and the Generals).

Noise Marie, a tall blind man with dark sin, used an Innocence named Noel Organon. He was quiet, calm, and probably one of the most patient people he has ever met. Rin usually talks with him when he wants to calm down, or during their tea time. He finds himself enjoying their tea-sharing sessions because it was relaxing to be with the older man's presence; he was all chillax and all that jazz. Don't make him angry— he can even be scarier than Lenalee. He got angry once, and just once. Rin didn't want a repeat of it.

Last was Suman Dark, whose Innocence was his right arm, he was a Parasitic-type like Rin. The man liked to talk about favorite pasttimes, Chess, and his daughter. He was the fatherly-type of guy, and the raven-haired male had fun chatting with him because his fatherly ways had reminded him of Shiro. To the untrained eye, Suman was the no-nonsense yet carefree kind of person, but Rin observed that he was depressed from time to time and that he was just a worry-wart forced to partake in the war. Rin had gritted his teeth in anger at that, knowing that he had to defeat the Earl so that Suman can return to his home.

Rin also encountered the other Generals in the building. Klaud was off somewhere and stated that she would drop by, and thus, he saw at least every other month. He met General Winters Sokaro once, and he'd rather not meet him again. He was scary. General Kevin Yeegar and Froi Tiedoll, like Suman, reminded him of Shiro. They were wise, always giving out advice and looking out for everyone. They were his favorite Generals after Klaud.

A few years ago, he learned from Klaud that the Generals wore golden-lining coats. He had asked her about Marian Cross, and she was fairly caught off-guard to know that he knew the man. Rin shared his encounter to her and the blond-haired woman said that Cross wasn't your typical Exorcist. He wasn't surprised to know about his womanizing, drunkard ways and his tendency to run off under the radar.

When he was 14, a pair of new exorcists had come. They were Bookmen, Komui once stated during their first meeting. The first was a short old man with hair that defied gravity and bags that reminded him of a panda, who introduced himself as Bookman. His companion was his very own apprentice, Bookman Jr or Lavi, as what they could call him. Bookman used Innocence called Heaven's Compass. Lavi used a hammer Innocence. Both were Equip-types.

Lavi was an all-around kind of person; he was friendly and easy to get along with. However, Rin suspected that it was just an act since their only reason for joining was to 'record the Holy War'. Although that may be true, there were some instances that the red-haired eyepatch-wearing teen showed his true emotions. The raven-haired teen had overheard that Bookmen were supposed to be unattached, and it seemed that Lavi was failing— which he didn't know if it was a good thing, because he can have friends without restraint; or a bad thing, because he'll fail as a Bookman.

There was one Exorcist that he shared mutual understanding but never friendship.

His name was Yuu Kanda. He was Japanese, just like him. The long-haired samurai with a stick up his ass was 2 years his senior; and they found kinship in the ways of the sword… and soba. Kanda would not admit it, but he enjoyed sparring with Rin (after he learned that the other could use a sword) and that the younger's cooking was on par with Jerry's (after Rin learned that he liked soba). Surprisingly, they got along; on the instance that Kanda was not annoyed. Rin may have been childish and brash at one point of his life, but his personality had mellowed down. He's still stubborn, but at least he learned to think before he should act. Kanda usually considered Finders beneath him, but had learned to not underestimate Rin over the years.

Besides the scientists and Exorcists, Rin didn't have others friends beside the Head Chef and a fellow Finder named Toma.

Jerry and he bonded over cuisine, no matter how wrong it sounds. The pair usually swapped recipes and taught each other how to cook food that the other doesn't know. Rin, whenever he's at HQ, helps Jerry out in the kitchen. He also learned that Jerry is not gay, just metrosexual.

Toma was the only Finder he befriended because he was cool, at least to Rin. Others were indifferent about him, hated him, or were uncomfortable with him. They were indifferent towards him because of the age or experience gap; Rin and majority of the Finders could not relate to each other. They hated him because a few Finders thought that he was sucking up to the higher-ups (especially since he seems to be on quite good terms with Kanda, despite his position). Last, they were uncomfortable around him because of his tail. Rin was a friendly guy, but seeing a tail was hardly normal. Only a few are like this to him.

Rin didn't think that his new mundane life in the Order would be disrupted by another familiar face.

After all, there's only one encounter, one chance for every person; as stated before.

Really, what were the odds that he would meet Red, now named Allen Walker, again in his life?

* * *

**So, should I continue? And do you want pairings? Maybe I would put in some romance if you guys like Yaoi, hahaha. Possible yaoi pairings would be Yullen, Laven, Yuuvi, or any of the 3 boys/Rin. And maybe I'll pair Lenalee and Road with a guy that you people want as long as it's not Allen, Rin, Kanda, or Lavi (even the 2 girls together, if you prefer Yuri).**

**Gimme reviews, please. Tell me your opinions as I think about writing more because I won't update this unless you guys want more, and it'll take a long time. This is the reason why I won't put this story under the 'Complete' section.**

**Oh, and uhh… tell me if there are any mistakes.**

**Ciao ciao~! -Flonne.**


	2. Ch 1: Act I, Verse I

**Since a lot had enjoyed the first chapter, I've decided to write more. I was actually motivated to update faster :3**

**Anyways, there would be ****a lot of timeskips**** in this chapter and the next one because this is simply Act I; the introduction of the story. Today's chapter is Allen-centric, with a bit of Rin-centric somewhere in the middle.**

**Still unsure about putting in romance, but there would be no problems putting in some later because this is just the beginning. So... tell me if you want me to put it in, people! I really need your opinions. To me, however, ****Romance = Main pairings are yaoi. Sub-pairings (some will be one-sided) are yuri or het.**

**As I said before, possible yaoi pairings would be Yullen, Laven, Yuuvi, or any of the 3 boys/Rin. And maybe I'll pair Lenalee and Road with a guy that you people want as long as it's not Allen, Rin, Kanda, or Lavi (even the 2 girls together, if you prefer Yuri); just 'cause I can't bear to write them with girls even if I read fics with those pairings *sobs*.**

**Really, I need your opinions of putting in romance before I write Act I, Verse III (Chapter 3). **

**BTW, back in the previous chapter, I changed Klaud's surname to 'Nyne', because it was a more appropriate surname than 'Nine'.**

**Tell me if there's any mistakes. This was written on-the-spot today.**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**~Act I, Verse I~**

_**Those Who Walk Forward**_

* * *

Once upon a time, there was a boy with a pure heart of gold, yet a past full of darkness. Scars run deep in both his body and mind. He was constantly met with agony in his life.

His name is Allen Walker.

The days when he was called 'Red' was over.

He was but a young man of 15. With stark-white hair, gray eyes, a scar on the left side of his face, and a deformed left arm, he wasn't exactly warmly welcomed by everyone. He used to have auburn brown hair, and never had the scar before. He had been living his childhood years in fear and anger because people found his arm as a product of a demon's work.

Nobody had wanted him.

Nobody had accepted him.

Nobody had loved him.

All but Mana, his foster father.

* * *

_T'was a normal day for Red, when he saw the new recruit from afar. He was kneeling in front of a bump on the ground; a handmade grave._

_"You can come closer, you know," He heard the clown say. "I don't bite."_

_Shooting a wary glare to the man, he had approached him slowly and carefully; making sure his guard was up._

_"Is it dead?"_

_Those were his first words to the man he had relatively ignored for the entire duration of his stay._

_"He's dead," The clown had muttered sadly as he placed a ball on top of a mound of dirt._

_"He's covered in bruises," Young Allen, 'Red', had commented off-handedly; though there was a hint of sadness in his eyes. "I bet it was that bastard Cosimov, just because the audience liked you better. Whenever someone with more talent comes along, he always bullies them. His performance and attitude is shit, but he's great at being an asshole." His speech had improved drastically since Rin, Robin, and Klaud (when she was still around) had helped him pronounce words._

_"He was an old dog. He probably wouldn't last that much longer, anyway." The clown countered, eyes glued to the makeshift grave. "It's alright."_

_"So, you're not gonna get revenge?" He had expected that the nice clown, Mana Walker, would do something for his beloved pet dog. "You're saying that you won't get back at him, at all?" Red couldn't believe it. There was no way that this man was a living saint, kind enough to let bygones be bygones. From his experiences, even little kids don't take anyone's shit— pardon his profanities._

_"Why would I do that? The Boss would get mad then fire me and I'd have to work for free," Mana replied, making Red snort in agreement. Damn right Frederick would. That man was a hypocrite through and through, pretending to be some nice guy offering work and will eventually milk you out for all that you're worth. Red can honestly say that from experience. The man continued. "Besides, I'm just an outsider. I don't really have any place here. Once Christmas is over with tomorrow, I'm leaving this place and heading off somewhere else."_

_Red immediately grunted defensively. "So what?" He placed his hands in his pocket. "People leave all the time, not like I care." The brunet stared awkwardly at the ground to the side, a sorrowful gleam in his hazy gray eyes._

_There was silence between them._

_Mana decided to break the tension. "By the way, young man. Who are you exactly?" He had seen the boy and another one with black hair roaming around the troupe._

_His reply was cold and emotionless. "I do odd jobs here. I brought you food too, didn't I?"_

_Mana scratched the back of his head. The boy had been the one serving his food, now that he thought about it. He didn't pay that much attention to him. "Sorry, I'm just not good at remembering faces," He lied, feeling embarrassed that he was only half-aware of the brunet's presence back then. Something on the boy caught his interest. _

_"Hmm… now that I look closer, it appears you're covered in bruises, as well." The man licked his thumb and wiped away a smudge of dirt on the boy's face. That caused the boy to take a step back and sputter in disgust. Red had slapped away the clown's hand in surprise._

_"WHAT THE HELL WAS THAT FOR?!"_

_"It's disinfectant."_

_"DON'T GET YOUR STUPID CLOWN-SPIT ON ME, DAMMIT!"_

_Mana smiled cheekily. He had finally gotten a reaction from the boy. He didn't like that faraway look glazing the boy's eyes. It made him appear to be a motionless doll, devoid of anything. Children are supposed to be happy and full of life. "I'm just cleaning you up." He raised his wet thumb again, and his smile widened when he saw Red take another step back. "Did Cosimov hit you, too?"_

_The brown-haired child's face bursted in red. "That's none of your business!" He really disliked the feeling of the man's spit. Who knows if he observed proper hygiene— not that he did himself. He wiped his cheek profusely. He didn't want to get clown-cooties._

_"Do you have any friends?"_

_"Just shut up!" Red shouted. It was none of the clown's business if he had friends or not. When he finally calmed down, he decided to speak more. "Not like I care about this crappy place, anyway. As soon as I've grown up and become strong I'm getting the hell out of here," He paused before continuing. "with Ri*, and maybe Ro***."_

_"Aww, you do have friends."_

_"Tch." The boy huffed and crossed his arms, turning his back on the man._

_Mana had laughed at the child's embarrassment. He was a cute kid, albeit a bit rough around the edges. He attempted to cheer him up by making a funny face. Red had stared at him with a blank look, clearly unimpressed by the immature display before him. _

_"What the hell are you doing?"_

_"You don't find it funny?"_

_"No." He answered without missing a beat. Mana inwardly winced at the boy's straight-forward answer. _'He could've at least hold back for the sake of self-preservation,' _The clown mused. He proceeded to listen to the boy's rant. "Sorry, but I don't like clowns and stuff. After working here, I all but love them." The brunet seemed apologetic, secretly appreciating the man's efforts of talking to him. There were only a handful of people who were genuinely kind to him._

_"Really?" Mana commented, incredulous at the idea. "Well, I don't like kids who don't laugh and smile, either."_

_Another bout of silence fell upon them. Mana had worried that he may have gone too far with what he said and the boy would never talk to him again. A few moments had passed and the brunet couldn't take the uncomfortable quietness between them._

_"Hey, why aren't you crying?" The boy queried. "You lived everyday with this dog, right? Are you not even just a little sad?"_

_Mana scrunched up his nose in mock sorrow, trying to make the younger laugh. "I'm so sad I could die."_

_"Stop that." Red didn't find it funny, at all._

_The clown shrugged, having no idea. "Actually, I can't cry. Maybe all my tears just dried up, or they won't come no matter what."_

_They had nothing to talk about again, as Red had settled with gazing at the clown with sympathetic eyes. When Mana stared back, and two eyes clashed, he felt something throb inside him— as if the boy was a long lost relative. There was something about the child that had reminded him of his brother, the most important person to him, and the sensation made him want to comfort the boy._

_"Not able to cry? That's stupid. Everyone can cry." Red decided to focus his attention on the grave. "What was this guy's name? I used to bring him scraps and leftovers. Yesterday, I petted him and he licked my hand. His tongue was really warm and he didn't care that I was—" He stopped there. Kind as he may be, the boy did not completely trust the older. "So I thought today I'd come down and… and..." Tears started welling up in his eyes and he tried holding them back, sniffling. He covered his eyes with his sleeve, discreetly wiping his tears. _

_"Why…?"_

_An image of the friendly dog flashed in his mind._

_"That's all it was, so why am I crying?"_

_The dog, despite being a mere animal, had shown him kindness, had not flinched from his touch, and had not been disgusted with his deformed left arm. He already had a friend in Ri*, he had a brother in Ro***, and a sister in Kla**— his three most precious people, so why? Why had he felt something for the little dog?_

_Mana watched, smiling triumphantly, as the boy finally let the dam break. His tears did not stop falling, and Red couldn't say he cared anymore._

_"Waaahhh!" He hiccuped in between his sobs. He couldn't stop the tears. This was the first time he had cried out loud. _

_"I see," The man smiled. "You're Allen's friend."_

_Allen… so that's his name._

_He had never called him that before. Red recalls the warmth when he stroke its fur. He wanted to call out its name. He wanted to be close to it, just like how Ri* had been when he first arrived._

_"Like me, you are an outsider here," He observed. "Though you have friends, you still feel that you don't fit in." Red didn't look at him, ashamed that he was feeling left out even with the kindness that was given to him. He had felt that he was a burden, a reason why the others had tormented his loved ones._

_However, the brunet had ended up starting another round of waterworks._

_"S'not m'fault," He grumbled incoherently. "It's not that I didn't appreciate them, I just…!" He continued to weep. Mana patted him and rubbed circles on his back to calm him down._

_"There, there. No need to say more. I understand."_

_Red had cried himself to sleep and Mana piggybacked him to the tent._

* * *

Allen wasn't sure, but from what he remembered during his first meeting with Mana, he had friends— friends that accepted him for who he was, despite his shortcomings and imperfections. They had shown him kindness long before he met his beloved foster father. For some reason, he couldn't recall anything.

It was probably because he fell in a ditch some time ago and suffered from a severe head injury.

They were just camping out when he wandered off to help search for more firewood and then he slipped and plummeted to his doom. The doctor said that him breathing and still alive was a miracle. Most people would've died from the impact. However, it caused his memories to be fragmented— making him forget about those friends of his.

Once, he was questioned on what he recalled about the incident.

_"I fell… and I… felt my back hit the ground," He paused. "then there was a flash of green. That's all."_

Allen had no choice but to rely on Mana's knowledge of those people, which wasn't really much. There was also someone that told him to stay away from Mana, and that it was his fault that the clown had turned out this way; but he couldn't be bothered to ponder about it. Thinking about his forgotten past made his head throb in pain.

* * *

_"Mana," The boy approached his father. "Do you know anything about my friends?"_

_It was one of the rare times that Allen was cool and totally calm, unlike his usual rude and boisterous self. He only acted like this when he was very serious or focused on something, or both._

_The man rubbed his chin in thought. "Hmm…" He pursed his lips, trying to suppress a blush in shame. "I can't exactly remember much, because I've never paid much attention to them. I was always in the presence of the other performers. From what I could bring to mind, you used to hang out with the backstage crew. You weren't really close to the other members."_

_"I see," Allen murmured. "Can you at least remember what they looked like?"_

_The clown scratched the back of his head. He didn't have a penchant for remembering faces. "Well, there was this boy, this wee high," He gestured the child's height with his other hand. The kid was as tall (or short) as Allen. "He had black hair and… I forgot what color his eyes were." Mana concentrated on trying to picture what his son's other friends appeared to be._

_"Then there's this guy, probably in his adolescence, with light-colored hair and a scar down the left side of his face and he had stitches on it. He was someone who wore thick layers of clothes." Allen nodded in anticipation. He was eager to learn more about these people._

_"And last was some blond-haired lady you told me about," Mana hummed to himself. "You said that she used to be the animal tamer for the circus a year before I came. That's about it." His son was disappointed at the lack of information but couldn't blame his father. He had a slight case of short-term memory, making it hard for him to remember— but it only applied to people, though._

_Mana, sensing the brunet's glum, decided to add his two cents. "You spoke really fondly of them, you know?" He chuckled. "Once, when we were introduced to each other, you brought me food and used Japanese honorifics; calling me New Recruit-san instead of Mr. New Recruit. I asked you why you addressed me as such, and it was because your friend was Japanese."_

_He paused._

_"You were very attached to them, especially the young boy. However, I can't seem to recall why you agreed to come with me and left them without saying goodbye."_

* * *

Allen woke up with a jolt on his bed. Sweat trickled down on his forehead, though he felt rather light— as if a burden was lifted from him. It had been a while since he dreamt about Mana. Thinking about his foster father often brought nightmares and let horrible memories resurface, but it only brought him peace today.

Was this Mana's way of comforting him, even in the afterlife?

Speaking of memories, it had also been a long time since he pondered about his supposed 'friends'. He still doesn't remember them, but blank faces and smiles were imprinted in his mind. Only happy feelings settled within his heart whenever he reminisced about them. He gets off the bed and kneels on the floor, hands held in praying position. _'If there truly is a God out there,' _Allen closes his eyes. _'please let us meet again.'_

* * *

_He didn't know that_

_His single wish_

_Already changed the future._

* * *

After his first mission, Allen was led to the cafeteria where they would celebrate his official membership and success. Lenalee had brought over a Finder to the white-haired Exorcist's table. For some reason, he looked very familiar to the teen; he just couldn't pinpoint when or where he had seen the male's face.

The Finder had sleek midnight black hair and electric blue eyes. He had a carefree smile on his face and his aura was that of a happy-go-lucky, friendly person.

"Ah, Allen!" She happily greeted him. "I'd like you to meet a friend of mine. He's very sweet and he's great at cooking, too!" The pigtail-haired girl pushed her Finder friend towards the white-haired male. Said teen blinked before smiling at the other. "Nice to meet you, my name is Allen Walker." He had his right hand outstretched.

The raven-haired male's smile froze. _'Allen?'_ A gleam of pain and sorrow flashed in his eyes. And his surname was Walker, too— just like the clown. _'They're family, now,'_ He reprimanded himself. He stared at the Exorcist's hand for a split second before accepting it. "Wow, you're all polite and well-mannered," He commented off-handedly. The other two sweatdropped at his bluntless. "The name's Rin, Rin Okumura. You can pretty much guess I'm Japanese from my name."

The familiarity was too hard to ignore now that the Finder had said his name. _'Why can't I recall where I've met him before?'_ Mentally tearing his hair apart for not being able to figure anything out, Allen had used all of his willpower to keep his smiling pokerface up. If his mask cracked, he would just worry everyone.

Meanwhile, Rin scrutinized the white-haired Beansprout (he heard it from Kanda) who had several emotions swimming in his eyes, but each were carefully guarded. It was only because he was emotionally sensitive that he noticed. The secret Exorcist was impressed for even he could not hide all of his feelings. _'Did he recognize me? I certainly didn't realize it was him until he introduced himself. I mean, last time I checked his hair was brown! And he has a curse scar on him, too.'_ He inwardly grimaced. The only good thing was that his personality had improved, though it seemed to be somewhat fake-ish. _'What the hell happened to you?'_

* * *

Since Rin's out on a mission and because he himself was assigned to a mission, Allen never got a chance to ponder more about the raven-haired enigma. There was just something unnatural with him.

He had to start focusing on his work, and thus, all thoughts on how he knew Rin flew out of the window. They wouldn't plague him, for now. Because of that, the white-haired Exorcist was able to do his job in peace. There was always time for thinking later.

Shortly after the mission in the city of Martel with Kanda, he and Lenalee were assigned to check the Rewinding Town in Germany. He was currently inside their cabin, waiting for Lenalee who went to take a tour around the train.

Speaking of the black-haired samurai, Allen disliked him. A lot. The man had practically declared hate-on-first-sight when they met (he didn't need to speak to convey it) whilst he had done nothing to aggravate him. Just thinking about it made his gentle face morphed into a scowl. The older male irritated him, but he didn't hate him— more like, he couldn't hate him. The teen had a conscience too strong for him to hate anyone, except maybe the Earl for treating a person's soul like it was his plaything. He shook his head. What was he thinking about again? Oh yeah, _Bakanda_.

Allen didn't know how he could understand the Japanese gibberish that the samurai Exorcist grumbles under his breath whenever he was annoyed, nor the Japanese insults he tossed around. But maybe it had to do something with that Japanese kid he befriended that Mana had told him about. Using honorifics to address people had become a habit for him because of that friend, so it wasn't very farfetched that the kid had taught him his mother tongue all the way.

People were actually surprised when he addressed them as '-san' instead of the English way of doing it like 'sir' or 'mr.'. They had all asked him questions like "How did you do that?" or "When did you learn how to speak Japanese?". Most are usually taken aback by his bilingual skills, except for Lenalee's Finder friend Rin. He had a poker face on, and there were times when his expression clearly said that he had expected Allen to be able to speak the language. Odd.

Wait, Rin's surname was Okumura. He's Japanese, then. He could be _him…_ but it was too much of a coincidence if he was. Besides, the raven-haired male hadn't reacted as if he knew him when they met, so those theories were immediately thrown out the window; yet he did look awfully familiar…

It all gave him a headache. Allen shook his head again. He should really think about it again later. They have a task. Right now, he had to concentrate on defeating and saving Akumas.

"We are not saviors, but destroyers," He murmured. "But I want to be a destroyer who saves." His eyelids shut as he fell into a dreamless sleep. The white-haired teen vaguely heard voices before darkness overrode his consciousness.

_"As long as you put your mind to it, you can do anything, Red!"_

_"Yer— I mean, you sure?"_

_"That's right! And that's why I think— no, I know there will always be something better out there, don't you think so?"_

_"Un!"_

* * *

Meanwhile…

Rin, along with other finders and a couple of Exorcists, were relaxing after a good day's hard work. He had been in a mission involving wealthy aristocrats, the Dreselle Family. A fellow Finder whom he shared mutual respect with, Doug, had stayed behind to give a gift for a servant girl they had met there. Her name was Colette, and Rin found her personality to be a cross between Shiemi (as she had cried easily) and Izumo (for her observant nature).

The raven-haired teen glanced at his companions from the mission. Lavi and Bookman were chosen for the job to record any events that will take place. Rin and Lavi got along like two peas in a pod, while Bookman was the grandfather that he never had; so they worked together just fine. Rin wasn't the type to fuss over minor details, either, so any Exorcist would have been fine… even if it was Allen, no matter how awkward that might be for him.

Rin sighed. This did not go unnoticed under the eyes of the Bookmen pair. However, they didn't keep it in mind, for they were only there to record history and the important figures in it. As far as the Holy War was concerned, the raven-haired male wasn't a key factor in it. He was just as dispensable as any other Finder, unless he gets involved in major events, of course.

Lavi's eyes slightly narrowed at the teenage Finder. There was something off about him, though he was unable to pinpoint it. It was as if Rin had a secret he was keeping from the Order. He glanced at the panda-eyed old man beside him and they shared a knowing look. Despite the black-haired teen being a 'random face' in the history of the Holy War, he proved to be interesting.

Rin was currently preoccupying himself with thinking about the report he was going to make. His thoughts then led back to Doug and Colette. He remembered the other Finder's words when Lavi and he had not gotten along yet.

_"Your eye is like glass. It reflects me, but that's all. Nothing reaches inside."_

It was indeed, he mused, the perfect description of Lavi. He would've considered the same for Bookman, but the old man was always impartial and no-nonsense whenever he conversed with others. He had always been emotionally unattached, contrasting Lavi's let's-be-friends approach.

Back in Elysee, a town just north of Paris, even Colette had been able to point out Lavi's mask. Doug had defended him, and Rin found himself agreeing. The ex-half-demon usually wasn't the type to think and most of the time, he was bookdumb. But if it involved someone else's emotions, he's the guy to turn to.

The trio were brought out of their thoughts when they heard screaming. Most of the people had became stiff in alarm. Rin, Lavi, and Bookman hurried to the source of the noise. "What was that?!" The raven-haired teen shouted in alarm.

Lavi didn't answer him and instead, pointed at something in the distance. He turned to look and he was frozen in shock.

There, on the other side of the hall, was the body of a Finder, bathed in his own blood. He felt his stomach churning at the sight. Rin didn't gag or bat an eyelash at it for he had already seen much, much worse. They approached the body and saw a trail of blood, leading further to another corridor.

Numerous bodies of other Finders greeted them in their wake. Lavi had noticed that the spikes on their bodies were similar to the attack of the Akuma back in Elysee. "How could have it survived?" He murmured and saw something moving at his side. The red-haired Exorcist knelt down the convulsing man. "What happened?"

"Doug," He coughed. "he… another… hall…" He points to a pathway by the side before his arm went down. The man died of severe blood loss. Bookman had closed the dead man's eyes. Rin gritted his teeth in frustration. There were a lot of dead people here, and Doug could be in danger!

Lavi was the first one to bolt away. Rin was about to follow, when the old panda shook his head. He gazed at the elderly Exorcist, his hands itching to fight and reveal that he was an Accomodator against the wishes of his mentor. He understood her worries, but there seemed to be an underlying reason for his current occupation. Bookman left to check on his apprentice.

A few moments later, he came back with an injured Lavi with a distracted expression on his face.

"Doug… he was an Akuma," Lavi announced. "Serge killed Colette, thinking she stole the diamond." There was no need for further words. It was clear that Doug had turned the girl into an Akuma.

He sunk to his knees and punched the ground. "Dammit!" He punched it again. "Dammit, dammit, dammit!" He was very frustrated. Not only had Allen came back to his life unable to recognize him, but Doug had turned into an Akuma, too. All the emotions pent up inside of him broke out. Disappointment, pain, the feeling of betrayal…

But most of all, he felt angry at his fellow Finder. Angry at him for being unable to overcome his grief. Angry at him for falling for the Earl's tricks. Angry at him for forgetting that he had people waiting for him, for disregarding their emotions on what he would do. Rin, fists bloody, sighed and sat on the floor, feeling lost.

He had asked Rin if he wanted him to stay and accompany him as he bought a gift for Colette. If only he had stayed, then maybe Doug would not have succumbed to the Earl's temptations. If only he had stayed, all the other Finders would still be alive. And maybe if he had went against Klaud's orders, Lavi wouldn't have been forced to kill Doug. He knew sadness when he saw it, and the red-haired Exorcist was regretful of what he had done.

The raven-haired male reached into his pocket and brought out True Cross's insignia. He held his hands together. Never had he once prayed after Shiro's death. He had decided to offer one for Doug and Colette, for them to be at peace in the afterlife.

Lavi and Bookman simply watched him at the side.

* * *

A few days after, a new Accomodator arrived at Headquarters.

Her name was Miranda Lotto, a brown-haired German woman who was the cause of the phenomenon known as 'Rewinding Town'. Her Innocence was named Time Record, for it was capable of controlling time of not just objects, but of people as well.

She was rather skittish and shy, always apologizing thinking that everything was her fault. She was quite clumsy as well, tripping on thin air and dropping things she held. Despite her faults, Miranda was a very determined individual who never stopped at doing something even if she failed. Rin had to commend her for her determination.

Not very long, she was dispatched to the Order's Asian branch where she would begin her training. Of course, they let her stay at HQ for a couple of days to celebrate her new job as an Exorcist.

Following Miranda's arrival was Arystar Krory III, a vampiric man with his teeth for an Innocence. Allen and Lavi had returned with him after a mission in Romania. He was surprised to learn that the white-haired teen had his left eye injured and it automatically healed itself in a short span of time. The pentacle on his forehead had darkened, too. He, Krory, and Lavi had an unfortunate encounter with Komurin IV at the entrance.

Rin laughed as they held a party for their new Exorcist. Everyone had make-up on their faces as Komurin IV mini had mistaken Komui's command of making the Order 'beautiful' (as in, cleaning) to giving people makeovers. He was one of the fortunate souls that were able to escape its clutches. He glanced around at everyone. Surprisingly, some people actually suited the make-up.

Lavi seemed to have taken notice of him. "How unfair of you, Rin-chan." The redhead had taken to Japanese honorifics after meeting him and Kanda. For reasons what, he didn't know. "You actually got away from Komurin." He accepted the towel that the Finder handed him, using it to remove the cosmetics on his face.

He snorted. "Heh, I'm just lucky it was distracted enough with you guys." Rin whistled. "Oh, Lavi-chan, don't be sad." He felt another bout of laughter coming. "you don't look half-bad, unlike _Allen-chan_, who actually looks the part." They both laughed and fell to the floor.

On the sides, Allen had a dark smirk on him. His eyes were glinting madly. He glanced at the Komurin who was busy working on a scientist. "Komurin, look! Lavi removed his make-up and Rin didn't get a makeover!"

The pair froze. Komurin went towards them.

Uh-oh.

Allen cackled madly as they were chased by the robot. Johnny sweatdropped at the sight. "You sure we should let them be, Allen?"

"They'll be fine." He waved his hand. "Besides, it's only going to give them a makeover. Nothing they can't handle."

Lavi and Rin muttered many swear words under their breaths.

* * *

Somewhere else…

A light-haired young man hurriedly scampered in the darkness. His short ponytail swished by as he rushed into different alleyways. It was a good thing that there were no people outside, for he was stuck wearing a maid outfit of all things. It was too embarassing for him to handle people's attention. It was already bad when he was back at the restaurant, helping out as payment for his meal.

After a while, he had ditched the humiliating outfit and changed into his original clothes. He wore a plain white dress shirt, black slacks, matching shoes, a black blazer, and a green ribbon tie. He also wore a pair of gloves and donned a long brown unbuttoned coat.

His eyes widened as he heard the sound of church bells in the distance. _'Miss Elleane!'_ He hastened his pace. There was no time to lose. He had to get there in time and help the Earl's next victim. The teen rubbed his left cheek in pain, ghosting his fingers on the huge scar across his face. He winced as he felt the scar throb underneath the stitches.

An Akuma was nearby.

He easily climbed the abandoned church and leapt to the skies. The pupil on his left eye adapted a red gear-like shape, while his eyeball turned black. His scar opened wide, pulling on the stitches that held the skin on his cheek together. On top of his eye was the continuation of the scar; two rings that were connected in a target manner, like a bullseye center.

The glove on his left hand had two circles on the back of it. It was similar to the pattern above his eye. It glowed as he activated his power. "Target locked. Step on it!"

He crashed through the ceiling of the building, making the two occupants inside angry (the Earl) and surprised (Elleane). Debris fell from above, almost crushing the puppet-like skeleton draped in ragged robes.

The fat man who wore priest robes glowered at the newcomer. "Stupid nuisance!"

"Kyaa!"

The boy landed on the floor, kneeling on his left. Elleane gasped. _'Robin?! What is he doing here?'_

"Seal!" He commanded as he placed two fingers above the symbol on his forehead, making his scar retract to its original form. Plastering a fake smile on his face, he turned to greet his enemy. "It's been a while, Earl. I know it's unannounced, but I'll be taking the bride."

The girl looked at him with a mix of awe and disbelief. _'Wha… wait a second! What was that and why is he talking so casually?!'_

"Elleane," Robin had dropped all honorifics. He was serious. "You did accept the Earl's offer, after all." He had a sad gleam in his eyes. She got angry at that. What does he know? He's just a kid who puts their nose in someone else's business!

"This doesn't involve you!" Tears well up in her eyes. He had no idea. He doesn't know her feelings. He doesn't understand what she's going through; she felt lost without her lover. "I'm nothing without him! What's wrong with bringing back the one you love?!"

Robin sighed and closed his eyes solemnly. "There is a man who appears before humans who've lost a love one. He promises to revive them in exchange for accepting a contract." An image of a younger, scarless Robin crying with the Millenium Earl grinning down flashed in his mind. "But this man's real goal is to use the victim to call back the soul of their loved one and use it to create a slaughtering machine, Akuma."

Elleane froze. She didn't know what he was talking about.

"That man's name is the 'Earl of the Millenium' or the 'Millenium Earl'."

The Earl's assistant, the ones who gave Elleane the wedding dress, shed their human skin and transformed into a pair of Level One Akuma. The young man easily destroyed them, freeing their souls.

As he finished attacking the Akuma, the girl he was saving didn't notice the robed skeleton behind her. It moved to slash her with its bare bones, but he was able to push her away— taking the hit for her.

"Robin!"

"I'm fine, Miss Elleane." He spat out black blood. "Nothing I can't handle." He ran his arm through the skeleton, effectively annihilating it.

"Robin, you say?" The Milennium Earl had a huge grin on his face. "Ahh, I remember you." He stood atop the altar as he pointed his umbrella, Lero, towards the other. "You're Cross's modified pet, the one who turned his sister into an Akuma!" His grin widened, if that was even possible. "Or should I call you Julia now~? After all, you are only using his body, but the soul is the girl's."

Robin, or Julia, growled at the fat man. "It was your fault. You had tricked my brother into accepting your contract." His left arm started to transform and the scar across his left cheek glowed for a brief moment. "Though it may have been his foolishness for bringing me back, it was you who gave him false hope and desecrated the natural order of life."

"You humans are all the same," The Earl growled a bit. "blaming me for everything. If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have been reunited with little Robin now, right~?"

"You… you sick bastard!" Robin lunged. "If it wasn't for your temptations, my brother wouldn't have succumbed to his depression! He was already coping with my death, but you just had to egg him on, didn't you?" His arm was grotesque with a silver cross embedded on the back of his hand, similar to Allen's Innocence.

The Earl's eyes slightly widened at the sight. "That arm… Cross gave you his arm and placed Innocence in it, hm~?" He clapped, very pleased with the turn of events. "How wonderful! I never expected that my creations were capable of being Accomodators. This changes everything!" The oversized man opened his umbrella, tipped his hat at them, and jumped into the air. Lero kept him afloat.

The young man unsheathed a dagger-like weapon from his coat and aimed it at the Earl's head. He dodged, but his hat was not spared. It was pinned to the wall behind him.

"That was my favorite one, too." He sighed, grin unwavering. "Thank you for the information, Robin~. It seems that bastard Cross discovered things about Akuma that I wasn't aware of." He playfully waved at the pair left at the church. Robin sighed as he decided to attend to Elleane if she had any injuries. He offered a hand to her and she accepted it, standing up.

"Thank you," She bowed, ashamed of her previous outbursts. "Thank you for saving me."

Robin shook his head. "I didn't fight for you, nor because of the Earl." He deactivated his arm. "I fought for my fellow kind." She froze. "I fought to destroy all Akuma."

"Your kind…" Elleane trailed off. It was clear to her that Robin— or Julia, was not human a few moments ago. She only needed confirmation from the other. "That's right. I am the Akuma who wears 'Robin'."

Tears that she fought hard to stop escaped and fell. "So all this time, you were fighting your own kind?" She continued to sob. "That must be unbearable!"

"CRYBABY!" He yelled at her with a mock-stern expression. She looked up and his face broke into a gentle smile. "Don't you worry about me. Besides," He closed his eyes. "Be strong, Elleane! You're still alive, aren't you?"

She wiped her tears and returned his smile. "You're right— ahh!" Robin collapsed and she almost didn't catch him. The girl sighed in relief as the young man laid on her lap, extremely exhausted with the earlier fight. He smiled as Elleane stroke his hair.

"You really look like… an angel when you smile."

* * *

The next day…

Robin scratched the back of his head and pulled on his hair in frustration. His other hand held the dagger-like weapon, which his mentor had accidentally left when he headed eastward. He remembered that General Cross was supposed to use the weapon to destroy the Akuma Egg, but the man—unexpectedly—was a scatterbrain. He went away, leaving the most important tool he needed for the job.

"Sheesh," He groaned. "Teacher's gonna kill me for this."

The teen stared at the crack on the dagger. "W-Why…?" He cried anime tears. "I-I'm so dead!"

He then glanced at the paths in front him; a fork in the road. It was at times like this that Robin hated himself with a passion. "Great. Not only did I damage Abaddon, I lost the map, too!"

The light-haired male hid the dagger in his coat and pointed a finger towards the two ways. "Hm, which way should I go?" He closed his eyes, inhaled, and took a step forward. "I'm sure that the right one will lead farther to the East. They're both on the right side." And with that decision, he sealed his fate.

Poor Robin, he had no idea that the left path was the correct one, leading from Pakistan directly to China (the shortcut); and that the right path led to India, which would get him off the General's trail— he had been there a few months ago, though. Cross was surely going to give him the punishment of the century. Maybe it wasn't a good idea to follow his mentor, but that would only worsen his situation— seeing that he could've followed the other. He sighed. The wayward General would probably make up some half-assed excuse to make his future torment worse. Oh, dear.

In a carriage headed towards the correct direction, a red-haired man sneezed. He placed his arms behind his back, the sleeves on his left arm slid down a bit and revealed a shiny, metallic wrist. He rubbed his nose and blinked at what had transpired. _'Maybe some hot woman's thinking about me right now. I knew the ladies can't resist this goodness.' _

Let him have his fantasy.

* * *

**If you guys are wondering, Elleane is not an OC. She is Lenalee (or Rinali) from ZONE, but we can't have 2 of them; so I made up an anagram of her name. Elleane is read as 'El-yan', if you guys didn't know.**

**This is rushed! I'm sorry for the crappiness *bows*.**

**So, did you guys enjoy this chapter? I kinda wanted to give it as a present for all my lovely humans out there~ *pulls off an Izaya cackle*. As for those who have read my other stories (especially the KHR ones), fear not! I am currently writing the next chapters. College just takes out a lot of my time, yeah?**

**Remember to vote for the whole Romance thing, people.**

**Allen/Rin or Rin/Allen - 3**

**Laven - 1**

**No pairings - 1**

**Others - 0**

**Please review! It'll really make me happy!**

**Ciao ciao~! -Flonne.**


	3. Ch 2: Act I, Verse II

**Ohmigosh, you guys love me so~! I appreciate the reviews.**

**Anyways, the voting is still up and the next chapter is your last chance to vote for the pairing you want. **

Allen/Rin or Rin/Allen - 8

No pairings - 8

Laven - 1

Others - 1 (no specific pairing as long as Allen is the Uke)

**WE HAVE A TIE! **

**Thanks to all that gave their answers (via review or PM). So it looks like this story's going to be pairingless or Rin/Allen (vice-versa, just 'cause). Please R & R (even if it's for the sake of voting). I would really appreciate it.**

**Today's chapter is the turning point of the beginning, which is probably obvious because of the title. This is the main event of the entire Act, so pay very close attention to every detail, m'kay?**

**It is a bit Rin and Yeegar arc-centric.**

**As for ****PoisonousDemon****'s question, if Robin would be a major character will be kept secret. To be honest, the only reason why he was featured in the last chapter was because I had nothing else to include along with the rest of what I wrote, just to make it longer. He was supposed to appear in today's chappie.**

**For ****faegirl123****'s question, if Rin is ever going to turn back into a half-demon… hm… *grins evilly* you'll just have to read more~! I can't guarantee that will happen, but it is an interesting concept.**

**Robin **_**will**_** appear sometime again, but as I said before, his role will be a total hush-hush. ****Try to guess when he'll appear and what his job will be~****.**

**I also have a special surprise by the end of the chapter, haha. **

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**~Act I, Verse II~**

_**The Advent of Flames**_

* * *

_"Whatever hard or sad times come, there are things you can never forget!"_

—_Okumura Rin to Usamaro, Blue Exorcist the Movie._

* * *

"Oh, Rin. I finally found you!"

The raven-haired male looked up from his plate and saw his good friend Lenalee waving at him. She had recently recovered from the incident in Germany, and is back in tip-top shape. It had been a while since he saw her, and he was happy to know that she and Allen came back in one piece.

"What's up, Lenalee?"

"You remember General Yeegar, right?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Allen was sent to him for delivery, but it turns out that he left the other package accidentally. Brother told me to get a Finder to do the job." She held her hands in a begging manner. "You're free, right? I've been looking for someone all day and everyone else is busy."

She handed him a carefully-wrapped box. It was quite small, easily held in his palm. He raised an eyebrow and shook it a bit. Something rattled rather loudly inside. "What is it?"

Lenalee smiled with a thoughtful look on her face. "I have no idea, but Johnny told me it was something that the Science Division recently developed. Brother helped too, they said." Rin turned to stare at her. Komui, helping in developing an invention that isn't one of his crazy experiments? Well, that's a shocker. Seeing his dumbfounded expression, the pigtail-haired girl giggled. "Yes, he may like to slack off a lot but he is good at what he does. Their new invention must be important or just really interesting if Brother helped them willingly."

Rin grinned. "Knowing that crazy lunatic, it's probably something destructive like Komurin." The duo laughed at that. It was true. Most projects that Komui contributed in were either weird, crazy, destructive, or a mix of all three. There were rare times he worked on an invention that wasn't under any of the circumstances, but that only happens if he was ordered to do so.

"So, where am I going anyway?" The faster he's outta here, the faster he'll get to take a nap; again. Like Komui, he always slacked off, but he couldn't refuse Lenalee's expression a while ago. Rin was a sucker for puppy-dog eyes.

"General Yeegar's in Belgium right now." She gave him a thin folder. "All the information you need about the place, the situation, and the General's mission are inside. Brother also told me that you will also assist him until he moves out of the country."

Great. He was in for a long-term mission, meaning, he won't be able to laze around like usual. Rin let out a long, weary sigh. Even if he was older mentally and a Finder-slash-secret-Exorcist to boot, he was still a sixteen year-old teenager. "This is gonna be a pain in the ass." At least he was stuck with a General he liked. He shivered at the memory when he was sent to go after General Winters Sokaro a year ago.

It was not a pleasant experience.

_"Oi, are you crazy?!" Rin was standing at the edge of a cliff. Behind him was a dark abyss for a ditch leading down to who-knows-where. The masked Exorcist was staring at him, and he felt— no, knew the man was smirking. Bastard._

_"Geh, you Finders are all weaklings. I'm just doing this to toughen you up!" He cackled. "'Sides, it's your job to check it out, right? Get movin'!" And so, the General kicked Rin off the cliff, sending him to his dark, pitch black doom._

_It was a good thing he was an Accomodator and a trained Finder, or else he would've died from the fall. He can still hear General Sokaro's cackle from above._

"—in. Rin!" Lenalee shook him, hard. He broke from his stupor and gazed at her, still in a bit of a daze. "Whoops. Sorry for spacin' out, Lenalee."

"No problem. Anyways, it's time for you to go!" She smiled. It was bright, too bright for his eyes. He can feel the discreetly-hidden malice in that blinding smile of hers. Her face clearly said to get his sorry ass moving. She was definitely hurrying him to go, choke down any complaints, and do the job. He sweatdropped.

Lenalee can be quite scary, sometimes. Komui, too. Maybe it runs in their blood.

"G-Got it."

Her smile was still on her face, effectively creeping him out. Definitely a Lee thing.

* * *

Road laughed sadistically as Yeegar spun his chains around, deflecting the numerous Akuma bullets headed towards him. Jumping in mid-air, he thrusted the chained pendulums right in the middle of the many Level Ones that surrounded him. Tyki simply smirked on the side, clearly excited at the prospect of fighting a General-level Exorcist. He tipped his hat. _'This ought to be fun.'_

The giant knight-like Level Two thrusted one of its lance arms towards the elderly man; Yeegar jumping away from the attack. The second Level Two took the opportunity to send a punch using its round ball for a fist, which Yeegar blocked effortlessly.

The blue-haired Noah grinned as she floated using Lero, landing on top of the General's carriage. "Ooh, that's not bad."

"General!"

When the three Finders accompanying Yeegar stopped to look back with worry, one of the Level Two Akuma ordered its subordinates. "Stop! Get them!" The hordes of Level One immediately obeyed, headed towards the defenseless humans.

The elderly General opened his coat in haste, only to reveal eight Innocence fragments; four at each side. "I have all the Innocence."

The Level Twos ceased their pursuit. "He does!"

"General!" One of them called again.

"Go on, get out of here!" He beckoned as he destroyed more of the spherical machines. "I'll catch up." The three were still glued to their spot, not wanting to leave Yeegar by himself. "Please go."

The Finders shared looks. Yeegar swung his chains again to decimate the next wave of Akuma. "I'll not let the demons kill anyone else for me. I became an Exorcist to prevent anyone from dying by an Akuma's hand again!"

Yet a bit reluctant, they nodded at their General's command. There was nothing they could do once he set his mind on something. Despite his strict and fatherly demeanor, he could also be quite stubborn. "Very well, General Yeegar." They all saluted at him and fled the scene.

"I _will _hold out until reinforcements arrive from Headquarters," Yeegar murmured.

Tyki snorted and pulled down his top hat. "His stubborn adherence to the rules will be his undoing."

The three men ran in the forest. "Hurry! We have to tell Headquarters!"

None saw a few Level Ones slipped by the General's defenses discreetly. It got lucky. Too bad, the Finders got separated.

* * *

Fortunately for Yeegar's group, our lovable ex-demon Exorcist from the future was around searching for them.

Rin held back a grimace as he explosions from the distance. It hadn't been very long since he arrived in Belgium where General Yeegar was supposed to be. The raven-haired male ran to where he had picked up the noises. Sometimes, it's a pain to have heightened senses (like today, the loud booms hurt his ears like a bitch).

One of the Finders who was with the elderly General tripped as he ran from a Level One, which managed to pass through Yeegar unnoticed. Rin recalled that his name was Thierry. He bit his lip in frustration as he had no choice but to reveal his secret. _'That guy…' _He balled his fists._ 'I don't think he'll keep quiet if I let my flames loose.'_

Taking a deep breath, the Finder-slash-Exorcist sprinted towards his comrade. Using his tail (thankfully no one pestered him so much about it), he used it as a rope to wrap it around the other's wrist and heaved him forward. Rin sighed in relief as he managed to save the other just before the Akuma unleashed its bullets. He questioned the Finder as they ran from the creature. "Where's the General?"

"General… Yeegar… stayed… Akuma… Noah," Thierry panted as they fled. The raven-haired teen cursed; and he had quite the colorful language, too. He had learned about the Noah after Miranda arrived at Headquartes. Suffice to say, he has his work cut out for him if those ashen-skinned people were involved.

Rin may not be the brightest crayon in the box, the sharpest tool in the shed, the best utensil to use— and he may represent every metaphor there is that clearly says his intelligence is very much lacking, but even he understands that the Millenium Earl had made his move to search for the so-called 'Heart' if the Noah had targeted the Generals. They also want to get rid of the strongest competitions, because all Generals carry Innocence fragments with them to look for their rightful Accomodators—except Cross from what he had heard, for he was given a different mission—and that would be troublesome for the fatso.

"Get out of here," He said to Thierry. The other had a shocked look. Of course, he rolled his eyes, they all thought he was a defenseless little boy playing Finder. "But you—"

"Just go!" Rin yelled. "That Akuma will catch up to us—" _'And I'll be forced to disobey Klaud.'_ "—and we'll both end up dead. It's better for you to flee to the next town. I'm gonna distract it."

The older man hesitated a bit before backing down after seeing pure determination in the other's eye. The raven-haired male frowned. "What are you waiting for? Go already!" And the man went off.

He looked around to see any trace of Thierry or other people. _'The coast is clear.'_ Rin brought out one of Yukio's pistols from his coat's hidden pockets. His eyes narrowed at the Akuma following them. It seems that there was more than a single Level One. He spotted a few more behind his nearest target going towards him from the horizon.

He aimed his gun and made sure he would get a headshot on the Akuma.

* * *

Reever was pacing around Komui's room when the phone rang. Komui was signing some papers. It was one of the days when they managed to successfully subdue the Chinese man to make him complete the seemingly endless paperwork.

"Supervisor!"

Komui looked up from his desk. "Hm?"

"General Yeegar is under attack!"

On the other side of the line was Thierry, the Finder that Rin saved, and his two other companions that thankfully got away from their pursuers. "We request immediate assistance. The enemy numbers—"

The Science Division Head clenched the papers on his hands after hearing the situation. "Ten demons and two others presumed to be Noah Clansmen were left at the scene. Rin, who was sent on a delivery job, was also there."

The Chinese Supervisor stood up. "Get a fix on their location." He bit his lip in anxiety. If the raven-haired teen was around, then there was a higher chance of both Exorcists (official and non-official) getting out of the battlefield unscathed.

"Yes, sir!"

Komui pointed at his other subordinates. "Tell all Exorcists in the field that General Yeegar is under attack by the Noah. Anyone in the area should go assist him immediately!"

"Got it!" Johnny replied and left, along with two other scientists and No. 65.

Somewhere else, Allen and Lenalee were notified of the assault; just after they parted ways with him, too.

* * *

"He's not doing that bad," Road commented. She sat on top of the carriage, swinging her legs— as if she was enjoying the sight. She probably was.

Yeegar had his eyes closed. _'May the souls released here find peace.'_ When he opened them, he saw that the only ones left were the Level Two and the Noah. One of the Akuma smirked. "You're good. You are a General, after all."

The other stared at him condescendingly. "But we will stop you here."

"Pitiful." Yeegar leaps into the air once more, his chained pendulums in hands. He shoots around multiple chains at the Akuma, but one of them shields his strikes. The other swats them away. The elderly man takes a step back to catch his breath.

"I never wanted to fight."

The first tried to attack him from behind, but the General perfectly evaded its assault and used his chains as whips to destroy the machine. The Akuma with lances for arms decided to send an attack of its own, yet Yeegar merely parries it; effectively trapping the arm in-between his chains. "I just wanted to live a normal life!" He used the pendulums on his right to pierce the Level Two, defeating it. His chains retracted.

Road jumped down from the carriage, Lero still in her grasp. The dark-skinned man's grin widened. "Well done indeed!"

"I guess we'll have to take care of him," Road sighed in content. She was going to kill a General! Wasn't that exciting?

In the shadows, Rin contemplated whether or not he would interfere. If he had been in the future, when he was still younger, he would've joined the fray without a second thought. However, gaining new experiences over the years—as well as being subjected to Klaud's strict methods—had made him mature. Just a little bit, though. He snapped out of his thoughts when he saw the blue-haired girl attack. She had a small cut on his cheek and seemed to be enraged. Road sent out a wave of pink light towards the General.

"Take this!"

Yeegar was taken by surprise. He was surrounded by particles of aforementioned light. "Well then, I'll send you to meet your beloved students!" Her hands were glowing and the teen clenched his fists before showing himself. Orders, be damned! He wasn't going to let a person die, not when he can do something to help. _'I'm sure Klaud will understand!' _

"Not on my watch!" Everyone was surprised to see a Finder engaging them recklessly. Yeegar felt his chest lighten in hope. He recognized the teen. If he was here (when he's not supposed to be), then back-up would arrive not too long afterwards. Until then, he had to protect him.

"Get out of here!" He yelled.

"I'm not leaving, General." Rin stood his ground. He brought his pistols out and released the safety of his guns. A familiar feel of warmth and scorching heat coursed through his hands. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Once he opened them, only steely determination could be seen in his electric blue eyes. _'Here goes nothing.'_

"Innocence, activate!"

Bright blue that matched his eyes soared, engulfing his hands and weapons. The Noah were shocked that a measly Finder was an Accomodator. The most surprised was General Yeegar. In all the years he had known Rin, he didn't expect him to be an Exorcist who simply hid his status. The raven-haired teen felt the stare towards him. He glanced at the elderly man. "I will explain everything later."

Rin fired at the Noahs, breaking whatever spell or attack that Road was going to use. He kept shooting azure flames at them, which they simply dodged. Miraculously, a couple of his attacks managed to graze Road's skirt and the rim of Tyki's hat. They seemed angry after that.

"How _dare_ you!"

"You've done it now, _Exorcist_."

The Noahs glowered. They didn't like it when their properties were damaged, especially if they're presents from the Earl!

…not that the Exorcists would know.

They were just petty like that sometimes.

The Noah of Dreams decided to attack Yeegar. Meanwhile, the Noah of Pleasure summoned his butterfly golems, the Tease. A couple of them morphed into large cross-like weapons that are usable both as blades and guards. Rin's grip on his guns tightened but his cloak's sleeves get in the way. He wore a longer-sleeved version of the Finder cloak to purposefully hinder his aim to be able to feint shots. It's hard to fake a fire when he's used to getting a perfect aim every single time.

The raven-haired male eventually removes the clothing, revealing his choice of apparel. It wasn't different from the True Cross uniform, except that he wore knee-high boots and a plain blue and black tie over his white dress shirt. He also didn't have the insignia pinned on his coat which he wore underneath the cloak, rather, he wore it like a pendant or amulet (just like Shiro did).

Rin's flames became even more intense as he pulled off successive shots at Tyki. It was a good thing that his blond-haired mentor taught him quickfire. The Noah managed to slash him across his right shoulder down to his abdomen. He howled in pain. As he crouched down on the ground, the Portuguese sent off a group of Tease which surrounded the teen, blocking any way of escape.

"Go on, Tease. Dinner is served," He mocked.

The carnivorous golems closed in on Rin, and he tried to fire at them all, only to fail. The older man's attack was expected. Anyone (Klaud, Komui, and the three) who had seen the Japanese activate his Innocence for the first time would instantly assumed that he was an Equip-type, unless he told them. Since he used a pair of flame-covered guns, no one could ever guess he was a Parasitic. Oh, well.

So when Tyki expected Rin to be devoured, he simply burned them off; putting out the flames on his body right away. He had already revealed that he was an Accomodator— there was no need to let them in on his other secret.

Good thing that he did it fast enough. The Noah didn't suspect a thing.

He raised his guns again when he heard the General's agonizing scream. Rin's head snapped up in attention when he saw the elderly man kneeling on the ground. His eyes narrowed and he snarled at the two ashen-skinned humans. "What the _fuck_ did you do?!" He felt the flames trying to appear on his body because of his rising anger. The teen willed himself to calm down.

Their enemies weren't helping, though.

Tyki still had that aggravating (and sexy, don't forget sexy!) smirk on his face. "Let's just say that Road sent him off to a never-ending wonderland."

"Wonderland, my ass," Rin growled. "I'm going to ask again: what the fuck did she—" He pointed his right gun at Road. "—do?!" And he fired, catching them off-guard. Road had lowered her pretense because she was focused on trapping Yeegar within his mind for good. It didn't do anything, though. Someone who does not know what or where her true body would not be able to harm her.

Rin, irritated and frustrated, felt a sickening yet embracing churn in his stomach. The burst of contempt he felt stirring inside him was recognizable; but he couldn't pinpoint exactly when he had experienced pure hatred like this before. His flames burned brighter, blinding even!

No one had made him _this _mad before. Except for the Earl, but everyone hated him. It was infuriating to see a human (or super-human, but still human all the same) toy around with another. It made him boil in anger. _'Who gave her the damn right to go and treat others like dirt? She's just a person like me!'_

If there was anything Rin hated most in the world, it would be manipulators.

They fuck up your minds and make a complete assholes of themselves.

He sent a wave of hotter, _murderous_ flames at the pair. He managed to damage Tyki, but only because he could not phase through Innocence. Somehow, the older man was not able to escape his attack. With a large burning gash across his chest, Road had to pull back; making her lose her grip on the General's mind.

"Tyki!" She ran towards her adoptive uncle, catching him in time before he hit the ground. The man hissed in pain, but otherwise did not voice any complaints about the damage. The blue-haired lolita had a dark grin on her face— even darker than her expression when Yeegar managed to make her bleed.

"You got lucky, _Exorcists_," She snarled. "But as a final present before we bid you adieu~…" The girl smiled and summoned a bunch of candles which she controlled to carve something on the elderly man's back.

"There!" Road was rather pleased with her handiwork. "The next time we see each other, you're all _dead_."

She and Tyki disappeared from his view. What he didn't know was that the blue-haired Noah had appeard behind him and shot a pink light towards him— which he didn't feel at all. His body felt very numb.

Her sadistic laughter rang across the field before leaving.

"Those Noahs are completely nuts!" He yelled in frustration as he pocketed his pistols. Making his way to the General, he made sure that the man was okay. He was physically intact, despite the words carved onto his back. Mentally, the raven-haired teen wasn't sure. The bloodied words on Yeegar's back echoed in his mind.

God Hunt.

_'God, huh,' _He smiled wryly. _'How ironic that Satan's son is a potential target in a hunt for holy stuff, when I'm all but sacred and divine.'_

He finally experienced the pain from his wounds. The male fell forward to the ground, his injuries getting worse as he bled on the ground. While he was about to faint, he vaguely remembered the order he disobeyed— a promise to Klaud that he broke in a heartbeat.

The teen closed his eyes just after hearing a couple of voices from the distance.

"Guess I'll get my work cut out for me back… at… Headquarters…"

And he was out like the light.

* * *

Darkness.

There was only darkness around him.

He sensed his own body floating in a pitch-black sea; never drowning, but never surfacing.

It made him feel alone.

It had always been this way— Rin knew that he would eventually have to return to his time once the Earl is gone. All the bonds he made would be for naught. They would have to part ways. The thought of being trapped in solitude did not bode well for him, yet… he stopped himself from getting too attached.

When he touched his face, he became aware of the tears silently dropping. He curled up into a ball. _'No matter where I am,' _An image of his family and friends back in the future appeared in his mind. _'I would always be alone. No matter how close we get, I still feel alienated.'_

Angst, sorrow, bitterness, pain, and all the things Rin Okumura wasn't known for had bloomed in his heart. All the negative feelings he shut and buried inside were all slowly surfacing one by one. He had felt like the odd one out in his original timeline, because he was half-demon. He was met with looks of disgust and mistrust.

Yukio was a different case. When he became a half-demon, people trusted him right away. It was unfair. Even when he graduated and became a full-fledged Exorcist, none of them truly relied on him.

And now, somewhere in the 1800s, he felt left out because he was an anomaly; an enigma. He was a person who was not supposed to exist in this era. No one knows the burden he carried. Even the slightest mistake can completely erase the future he's in. It was hard to ignore such obvious facts.

Rin's eyes widened.

_Why was he being depressed all of a sudden?_

It was at that moment that the teen became aware of the claws and hands that held him. He pulled away and forcefully shook himself awake.

Rin opened his eyes. He was surprised to see that he was back in True Cross Academy. The teen looked around and saw its pitiful state. His eyes widened when he managed to recall what happened.

This was the time when the Gehenna Gate was opened and Satan forcefully possessed his brother.

"Am I dreaming? Or is this…" _'…a memory?'_

The ex-demon looked around, hoping to find Yukio or any of his friends. He bit his lip when he saw numerous demons roaming the campus grounds: coal tars, hobgoblins, ghouls… you name it. Azure flames burned here, there, and everywhere— but the brightest ones lit up in the distance. _'Yukio must be there.'_

When Rin was headed to the main building where he remembered to be the place of the blood ritual, he spotted a certain scarlet orange-haired woman holding a sword. He felt a smile crept on his face when he recognized the person. "Shura!" He called out.

No answer. She did not turn around to acknowledge him. Gaining more confidence to call the other, he yelled again.

"Shura!"

Still nothing.

"Boob-lady, dammit! Talk to me, here!"

That got the woman's attention. Unfortunately, when she turned around, he was not prepared for the sight.

Shura's face was rotting, her skull was exposed. Blue flames were on her face, slowly churning her. She had a large slash across her chest and stomach while maggots were feasting on her open wounds. Pentagrams covered her skin. She was disintegrating into dust. Rin felt sick. "Wha—"

"Yo, Rin." Even her grin was crooked. "You're here, that means we're all complete!"

"Huh?"

The skeletal woman pointed behind him. The flame user then gazed at who or whatever she was looking at. Rin froze on the spot when he saw his friends in the same state as Shura, only injured on different places. They all huddled up on the teen, trapping him effectively in-between. He struggled in their grip, but did not exert much force for he did not want to hurt them.

"Dammit, let go!"

"What's wrong, Nii-san? Do you hate us?"

"That's right, Rin-kun~, why are you trying to escape?"

That voice made Rin feel cold inside. He turned his head sideways to see Yukio—possessed by Satan judging from the flames emanating from his body—and the Millenium Earl. The fatso had one hand on his younger twin's shoulder. The brunet had tears of blood streaming from his eyes and pentagrams appeared on his pale skin.

"Yukio!" He then growled at the creator of all Akuma. "Get away from him, you pork-faced creep!" The Earl stood in front of him, cupping his face. The man's ever-present grin grated on his nerves.

"Don't you worry, Rin-_chan_," Somehow, when the man switched honorifics, it made his name sound even creepier. "you don't have to worry about being lonely anymore." The teen became woozy at his enemy's words. It's as if he was hypnotizing him.

"Just give in to me," Rin heard Yukio say that. "_**and let me take over.**_" His brother's voice was overrode by something completely inhuman. The teen broke free from their grip and ran as fast as he can. He didn't understand; what was going on here?!

He didn't care where he ended up or if the others were chasing after him. He just had to get away. A while later, he panted, trying to catch his breath. His hands were on his knees, his eyes glued to the ground.

"Fuck…" He cursed. All that running took a toll on his body because he was numb in pain from his previous injury that he received from Tyki. Since his Innocence fused with his blood and the Noah of Pleasure gave him a slash wound via Dark Matter, the damage became severe. He ignored the protests of his body to stand up straight and look at wherever he was.

Rin was surprised to see mirrors, reflecting every angle of him. The reflections were crystal clear and he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Nothing to worry about there. However, one stood out amongst the rest. It was an ordinary hand mirror. It had a golden frame with intricate designs. Sparkling jewels adorned the handle. The male chuckled in nostalgia. _'This is something that Shiemi or Lenalee would like. Those two have an eye for shiny crap.'_

When he looked at himself in the mirror, he saw heterochromatic eyes staring back at him. His ears were sharp and his fangs protruded from his mouth again. The color of his eyes were crimson and blue for the left; crimson and gold for the right.

He heard a voice in his mind. _"Do you like my present, Exorcist?"_ It was Road.

The teen slammed the mirror on the ground, picking up one of the glass shards. He had heard from Allen that overcoming the illusion set up by the Noah of Dreams was an arduous task. He has to have a strong will to be able to break it.

If there was one thing that Mephisto had told him, it was how to break distortions. Through pain, of course. Using the shard to look at his reflection again, he made sure he was correct before stabbing his right eye— the one with the gold color in it. He gasped in pain as a pinkish glow exited it.

Rin heard the Noah's voice again. _"Aww, you ended it early. And here I thought I get to dig more of your memories. You have a very interesting mind, Rin-chan. Japanese, right?" _She giggled. _"Anyways, you're intriguing but Allen is a much better doll to torture. His mind is completely twisted, after all. Teehee~!" _

"You're not gonna get anything else from me, _Noah_, and leave my friends the fuck alone."

_"No can do, flamebrain~. I like Allen a lot."_ And another bout of demonic giggles followed. If Rin wasn't Satan's son he would've believed that Road was his daughter. She was laughing hard. _"Because you destroyed that Dark Matter that went to your eye, this place is a goner now. Until we meet again~!"_

The raven-haired teen held his face as he blacked out. He was soooo going to get the damn Noah back for this. _'Stupid Road. Stupid illusion. Stupid Earl. Stupid Mephisto—'_ And he mentally ranted all the things in his 'stupid' list. Really, life just liked to mess with him. Was it because he was Satan's spawn?

Outside of his mind, his right eye started to cry tears of blood. The nurses of the Order panicked.

* * *

Two weeks later…

Kanda clicks his tongue in annoyance as he and Daisya headed out for Barcelona. It hadn't been long since he had a decent fight. The last battle he had was during an investigation about some witch living in a forest and a girl named Sophia. Honestly, it was a piece of cake. He could've finished it without the extra baggage (a.k.a. Gozu, the Finder who was with him).

The last transmission he received from Headquarters was during the attack on General Kevin Yeegar. He didn't give much of a damn on the man— he was a _General_, but the Japanese samurai mused on the idea of fighting the Noah. He missed out on a big one.

Right now, they were stuck searching high and low for their air-headed nuisance for a mentor, General Froi Tiedoll. The blue-haired male hated him with a passion, yet the old man could not get the hint that he doesn't want to be called _Yuu_ nor does he want to be _cuddled_. He mentally shuddered at the idea, and if Kanda wasn't Kanda, he would've shivered outwardly then and there!

But he has his pride and dignity, so no showing true feelings (aww…).

Noise Marie, one of their teammates, was somewhere in Portugal. He was heading to Spain, too, after getting wind of the 'God Hunt' that the Noahs proclaimed. Everyone was given a task to look for their respective Generals. Kanda, Daisya, and Marie were to go to Barcelona— where Tiedoll was planning to go, according to his report.

Team Cross comprised of Allen Walker, Lenalee Lee, Lavi or Bookman Jr, Bookman, and Arystar Krory III. Unfortunately, General Cross Marian was the sneakiest and trickiest of them all; it was near impossible to track him down with or without the help of his golem Timcanpy. It was a good thing that the little critter came with the white-haired Exorcist.

General Winters Sokaro was also somewhere nearby and that's why his three apprentices Suman Dark, Kazana Reed, and Chakar Rabon were going to Barcelona, too. General Klaud had Gwen Flail, Tina Sparks, Sol Galen, and Rin Okumura out to get her. She was somewhere in Europe (probably Spain, too, because she had promised Tiedoll that they would meet up an d exchange fragments) and she could be quite random during her travels, and that made her the second hardest-to-find General. It would be a long journey before they get to her.

Rin, who had been recently revealed (not discovered, you dopes!— he kept correcting them), blew his cover when he rescued General Yeegar, managed to survive a Noah attack, and his Innocence blood found out by the Head Nurse (he had never been gravely injured before and never needed to go to the Infirmary, that's why she only knew now). Since he never had a reason to go to the Infirmary, he was just newly traumatized by the Matron. He'd never look at the motherly yet stern healer the same ever again.

The young Japanese male was shortly bombarded with questions and was invaded by the prying of the Bookmen pair. He was forced to say that he had been General Klaud Nyne's student for quite some time. He all told them that he became a Finder because he wasn't ready enough—a sentiment shared by the student-teacher pair—but kept to himself that he doubted that was the only reason why.

_"Rin Okumura, your future is bleak and blurry… but I am able to tell that you are the double-edged sword of the Order, He Who Shapes Fate." The male went stiff at the remark. It was the perfect description for his current adversary. The future literally rests on his hands and everything depends on what he would do. He _is_ a time-traveller._

_She sets him down on the platform, with Komui as the only witness of their exchange. "I am sure that your mentor is aware of this, Rin," The snake-like woman remarked before disappearing to who-knows-where._

_The Japanese teen crossed his arms while pointedly glaring at the Chinese Supervisor. "Not a word of this outside. I already blew up my cover, I don't wanna bother Klaud with this one, too."_

_The scientist sighed. "I understand."_

There was something the older woman was hiding from him, he was certain of it; Hevlaska never lies and is rarely wrong. She was like, the omnipotent deity of the Order. The century-old woman has shamanic powers and no one has ever doubted her.

What could Klaud be hiding?

* * *

A few days had passed since everyone was dispatched from Headquarters.

All throughout the duration of those days, Daisya was severely injured by one Tyki Mikk; rendering him into a comatose-like sleep. The Head Nurse told everyone that he wasn't in critical condition, but it was enough to knock him off his feet. His General took it hard. He would've died, if not for Kanda. And Kanda wouldn't have known, if not for Rin's uncannily accurate instinct.

_Rin stared at Daisya's back in confusion. His fellow Japanese, who was quietly eating soba in the corner, noticed his gaze. He ignored it at first, but seeing the raven-haired teen look at the other was quite annoying. He didn't get to enjoy his meal. If the bookdumb Finder had something to say, then he should spit it out. Curiosity budding inside the samurai yet not admitting it, he finally decided to speak up._

_"Oi. Why are you staring at him, girly name?"_

_The younger male didn't bother to reprimand him about the nickname, instead, he had furrowed his eyebrows; eyes glued to Daisya as if there was something wrong with the said guy. "I don't know why, but there's something off. I have a bad feeling about your next mission. Watch over him, girly face."_

Kanda may not say it, but he actually trusted Rin's gut feelings. He'd rather cuddle and go dandy with Tiedoll before he would admit it, though.

—On second thought, he might spill instead of doing disgusting acts with his self-proclaimed 'father'. That man doesn't know the concept of 'personal space'.

Anyways, as a result, the former soccer player got off light: meaning, he would've died then and there.

Not long after, the news of a Fallen One had reached their ears.

* * *

During Team Klaud's journey to Spain, they had run into Team Sokaro and both groups worked together to find their respective Generals. It was very unfortunate for them that the Noah Tyki Mikk was just around the corner and his targets consisted of the two Generals' teams and people connected to the Fourteenth— not that they would know.

The only survivors of the surprise attack were Rin and Suman Dark. The others fell to their demise. Suman was gravely injured after taking the Noah of Pleasure one-on-one, and was forced to pull back and return to the Order. The raven-haired male was left on the front lines and had stubbornly refused to fall back. Komui had no other choice but to let the Japanese roam around some more to look for his missing mentor (and also watch out for the Noah).

He still had Suman's golem with him, the other ones decimated. He heard from Reever about the news of the Fallen One. It was surprising, really. He had no idea that big things were already stirring up in the Far East as he was taking his sweet time in the Far West.

Apparently, one more of their own (a member of Team Sokaro) had survived and ratted out the Order's secrets. Surprisingly, it was Kazana Reed, a man who had been missing since the Noah attack. He had wanted to go home and leave the Holy War, and in turn, begged the Portuguese man to spare his life in exchange for information.

When the teen talked it out with Suman, the older man had told him that if Team Klaud didn't arrive that time, he would've been the person in Kazana's position and no doubt he would accept the offer. He wanted to see his daughter, Jaime, and his wife for so long. It was the reason why he was so thankful towards the Japanese male.

Rin was devastated after learning about Allen's death. He had consecutive sleepless nights because of it, dreaming about the past, about what could have been if they didn't get separated, and about what would happen now that his friend is forever gone. The young Exorcist had gone into a deep depression— he only slept when he was dead tired, ate when he's starving to death, and had worked himself to the bone.

It was his only outlet.

Searching for his precious teacher, seeking for her advice and comfort was the only thing that got him going. It was his last hope: that if he managed to accomplish his mission, he would be able to make the white-haired Exorcist proud somewhere in the afterlife; if it ever existed. His efforts bore fruit, as he had received a letter from the blond animal tamer (how she sent him a letter without permanent address, he didn't know). They were to meet in Sicily, Italy.

And just when he thought he had found Klaud, he was surprised to see someone else in her stead.

* * *

Rin stared, jaw dropped.

The man stared back, smirking.

They had a fierce and intense stare-off. Neither knew what to say, or do. It was really a shocker. The young ex-demon didn't know what to say. Many questions ran through his head. How did he get here? …Wait, that was a dumb one. He had those freaky dimensional powers. Let him rephrase that. What was he doing here? Why was he here? Did he know Klaud? _Why the fuck did he even sent him in this era if he himself was going in the first place?_

"Rin! It's nice to see you again. How's life, little brother?" That familiar haughty smirk still made him a bit edgy, but it was nice to see the other again. He won't tell that to the older man's face, though. He opted to jab his index finger towards the other instead, who was swaying his legs on the bed; utterly amused about their current situation.

_'This bastard…'_

"You… clown… what the fuck are you doing here, Mephisto?!"

The Demon King of Space and Time simply grinned impishly.

* * *

**Mephisto? As in MEPHISTO-freaking-PHELES?! What happened to dear, no-nonsense Klaud Nyne and her lovable monkey?**

**Bet you didn't see that coming. *wiggles eyebrows* Don't forget to R & R (as I said above) or PM me… even if you're just going to vote! Anyways, I've got nothing else to add.**

**And another thing, are things going a bit too fast? Just tell me, okie dokie? Oh, and if there are any mistakes, too, pretty please? *bats eyelashes with puppy-dog eyes***

**This chapter is, yet again, another story written on-the-spot.**

**Ciao ciao~! -Flonne.**


	4. Ch 3: Act I, Verse III

**This is your last chance to vote, people! Get those replies sent to me, a.s.a.p!**

Allen/Rin or Rin/Allen - 17

No pairings - 17

Laven - 2

Yullen - 1

Lavi/Rin -1

Kanda/Rin - 1

Others - 1 (no specific pairing as long as Allen is the Uke)

**Well, this is a bit of a sticky situation. When I was skimming through the reviews and PMs, I was like "Hey, Rin and Allen as a couple are winning" and then when I closely counted everything, it was a tie. Again.**

**How will I be able to decide?**

**I have no other choice but to settle with a little romance (to ease the romance fans out there) but it won't play a large role in the story. Just a few hints of them to also make anti-pairing fans happy. That, and the **poll will be extended**. There are only two choices:**

Allen/Rin or Rin/Allen

No pairings

**Vote counts are reset to 0, so everyone who has voted before can re-vote again. You can also vote every update, too.**

**Anyways, I'm very sorry for this being late. I had to rest my brain after writing my DGM one-shot **Endless Cycle** (which features Neah's memory transfer thingy), trying to finish its **_**very**_** long spin-off **Those Left Behind** (Cross's backstory) along with the next chapter of my KHR fic **Changing our Future**, and also writing a new one-shot for DGM **The Destroyed Destroyer **(After Mana's death, Allen is not picked up by Cross, the Earl, a Noah, or an OC *it will be a surprise~!*). It's supposed to be a multi-chapter, but I don't think I can finish three of them all at once. I already got CoF and this one. And then I have two multi-chapters on an indefinite hiatus.**

**I also have college, too. So yeah, I'm pretty busy.**

**This is the closing verse of Act I so it may take a while to update after this chapter. Hope you guys send me some ideas and R & R.**

**Today's update is shorter than the others, too. I ran out of ideas! The scenarios that are flooding within my head are all for Act II!**

**Enjoy!**

* * *

**~Act I, Verse III~**

_**Final Pieces of the Board**_

* * *

Moments before Rin met Mephisto…

Klaud sighed as she watched her fellow General pack his belongings. The pair were getting ready for the departure to the Ark. They were currently hiding in an isolated town somewhere in Edo. Ninety-five percent of the entire Japanese population were converted into Akuma. Fortunately, there was the occasional human village that somehow managed to survive and thrive under the Noahs' noses, no matter how close they were to the most Akuma-infested places.

She watched as the red-haired man made a fool out of himself, chasing after a chicken that took his hat. It had been comical for the first few minutes, but the blonde became irritated as Cross took his sweet time, delaying their departure.

"Cross Marian, I believe it is time to go. Leave your hat and buy yourself a new one after this."

The womanizer lit a cigarette that he whisked out from his pocket. "I don't want to see the fucking Order." At least he had refrained from flirting with her, Klaud appreciated his efforts. It was hard not to when he had gotten used to it for the past twenty years or so.

"So how are you going to sneak in the Ark?"

"I've got an Akuma that can do just that. Besides, the clown gave me one of his fancy dimensional keys. It'll be enough." He signaled at the pair of modified Akuma that were nearby. When they approached him, he each gave them an order.

"You, ugly-ass." He pointed his finger at the bee-looking monster. "Go to the crybaby geezer and lead him to Edo. And you, my beautiful Sachiko," He purred at the yellow-colored creature that transformed into a brunet Japanese woman. "Go to Lenalee and the idiots who came with her. Tell them about the situation and to get packin' if they're coming here half-assed. Don't tell them anything about my mission and the plans for the Ark."

The lovely young woman saluted childishly at the General. "You got it, cho!"

"Now, off you two."

After they left, he turned to a random wall, staring straight at the shadow created by the moonlight. "Brat, get moving. Klaud's kid and the fucking jester's probably at the rendezvous point by now." He didn't wait for a response.

"See you." He gave a lazy wave to the stern woman. The female General crossed her arms and looked away. She didn't bother to say anything until the redhead opened a portal with Timcanpy and left.

"Whatever."

* * *

A man stared off at the distance, watching the Exorcists struggle against the Noahs in Edo. He sucked on a lollipop and rolled his eyes at their combat prowess. Were the dogs of the Order really that weak? Their strikes were unrefined and their reaction times were slow. And here he thought they were competent enough to at least parry the enemies attack without breaking a sweat. No wonder they would lose.

He glanced at his companion. "I don't know why Brother is even interested in them. They don't give the impression of being strong, capable fighters."

"Now, now," A motherly voice replied. "don't go underestimating the Order's Exorcists. Besides, even if they are soldiers, they are still humans if you strip away their Innocence." She brushed away some of her hair that went to her face as the wind blew ominously. The woman ran a hand over her chestnut brown locks. Green eyes remained locked to the battlefield.

"Are we going to interfere?"

"Nah, not until they give us the signal."

She reached into her pockets and pulled out a piece of paper with an intricate circle drawn on it. The brunette bit on her finger to draw some blood and she smeared a few drops onto it. Her hands were held in prayer. "Whimsical faerie of the rainbow crystal, let thy illusions become reality."

A flash of light engulfed the area. When it died down, something blue arrived. To a normal person's point of view, the creature appeared to be a harmless pixie from fairy tales. However, because of the woman's profession, she knew that it was _not_ to be taken lightly. No matter how adorable it looked, it was a _demon_. Despite its docile nature, once provoked, it could be your worst nightmare.

"Create a cover for us, little one." She spoke to the pixie demon in a hushed voice. "We need to get to the Order's Exorcists unnoticed." The little critter nodded and fluttered around them. In a matter of seconds, the pair were blanketed by silver-colored dust which made them invisible to the naked eye. To them, on the other hand, they only appeared to be ethereal.

The male sighed at her. She said that they wouldn't help them, but she couldn't resist her conscience. Here they were, planning to go to the Order's dogs to help them. The woman was too much of a goody two-shoes for her own good.

"And you did the same for that soccer boy, too," He whispered.

"Did you say something?"

"Oh, nothing. Nothing at all."

* * *

Somewhere in Vatican, the council members of the Central Administration were having a conference about the Holy War. There were low murmurs about the Earl and his abominable creations, as well as the issue of another realm.

"Can we really trust that Mephisto Pheles? He is a man of otherworldly powers!"

"That man is a real, genuine demon!"

"Not only that, he's also a Fallen Angel; a disgrace from Heaven itself!"

"SILENCE!" A loud, elderly voice boomed in the room. The man who yelled wore a blood red robe along with a spectacle on his left eye. His hair was stark white and his eyes were a lovely shade of turqoise. The old man groaned in frustration. His members were an unruly bunch, gossiping like old women. He took a deep breath before speaking again.

"We cannot trust Johann Faust III, Mephisto Pheles, that is for sure. Nonetheless, he has proved to be a valuable ally of the Church. Regardless of his origins, he had contributed a lot to help the Vatican." He paused. "Or have you forgotten his words? I quote, 'you possibly cannot rely on me though you can surely use my help just as I use yours'."

"But Lord Egin…"

"We can't simply accept that scoundrel's claims!"

There were a series of grumbles amongst the crowd. A hand shot out from the lower courts. The elderly man stared at him. "Permission to speak granted, Head Inspector Leverrier."

"Thank you, your Eminence." A German male who seemed to be in his forties or fifties stood up stiffly. His eyes held a piercing gleam like a snake's, while his presence and facial features were similar to Hitler's. All in all, he was one intimidating man. It didn't faze any of the others, though.

"So what do you think about Pheles's plans?"

"I adhere to his plans, even if I don't completely agree to his methods. If it works, we would be able to successfully severe the chains that bind our realm, Assiah, and the newly-discovered realm, Gehenna. Unfortunately, I propose to postpone it for now."

Lord Egin raised an eyebrow. "Oh? Why is that, Head Inspector?"

"If we use Rin Okumura right now, we will lose a valuable soldier in the war. There are only a handful Exorcists to this time and day, and each one drastically affects the outcome. It could have a negative impact on the Holy War."

A chorus of grunts of approvals met his ears. Their superior hummed in thought, rubbing his chin absent-mindedly. "Yes, yes… that could prove to be troublesome. Very well, we will bid some time until the scale tips to our favor. On the other hand, if the situation with this new… realm becomes a larger threat, we will go on with the Project."

"Yes, sir."

"Meeting adjourned." There was a shuffle of seats as the people exited the conference room.

Leverrier walked away silently, not sparing a single glance at the people around him. Once he arrived at an isolated part of the corridor, he brought out a picture and stared at it. It was a photo of him, a smiling brown-haired woman, and Rin as a toddler. The usually stoic and cold man smiled fondly at it.

"Inspector."

At the sound of his title, he hurriedly hid the photograph. He swerved his head only to see his loyal subordinate, Inspector Howard Link. The blond-haired man of nineteen looked at him passively before nodding. "It is time to go. According to Chief Komui Lee from the European Branch, majority of the Exorcists were dispatched to Edo. General Froi Tiedoll and his team were in the vicinity, as well."

"I see." He became silent for a while. "Link, make all the necessary preparations here in Central. Make a petition for an inspection warrant from his Eminence. In a month's time, we will head to the Black Order Headquarters."

"Understood." Link saluted at his boss before blending back with the shadows.

* * *

Mephisto had a cocky impish smirk on his face and his arms were crossed. Rin hadn't closed his mouth which remained open until he finally took a deep breath and lowered his arm. He went to the side, pulled a chair over, and sat down in front of the smug demon.

"You still haven't answered me, stupid clown. What are you doing here?" His head was spinning filled with unanswered questions. The older man sighed before unfolding his arms and standing up, walking slowly towards the window at the other side of the room. Rin's eyes watched his every move. The clown hadn't changed (at least appearance-wise) one bit.

The Demon King wore his usual white-colored coat with his trademark polka-dotted tie and wore a top hat accented by a pink and violet-striped band. He also had a cape that had a matching color with the rest of his outfit. He also wore the same jester-style pants and pointy shoes he had back in the future. He hadn't shaved his goatee and his ears were as pointy as ever. Sharp canine teeth poked out from his lips. Somehow, the other's demonic countenance made him feel nostalgic. It has been quite some time since he saw a true genuine demon.

"We haven't seen each other for at least a decade or so and that's the first thing you say?" He wagged his finger in a 'tut-tut' way.

"Whatever," Rin huffed. "So why did you send me here if you're going to do the same?"

"I think you are mistaken," Mephisto calmly stated. "I am indeed Mephisto, but not from the future."

That statement made his eyebrows furrowed. Instead of being enlightened about the situation, the clown just gave him more questions. Seeing his puzzled stare and as if reading his mind, the demon chuckled. "What I meant is, I am the Mephisto of this era. I simply received the memories from my future self." A pink smoke engulfed his hands and when it cleared, a cup of tea appeared. He sipped some before continuing. "You see, two versions of a person cannot coexist in one era at the same time. For example, the 'me' from the future cannot come to this time period because _I_ am already here."

Rin scratched his head. He didn't get it. "Why is that?"

"If two of the same person are in the same era, the balance of Space and Time would be disrupted, that is why reverse time-travelling should indeed be possible. You, however, are a special case," He sets the tea cup down on the bedside table. "Since there is no 'you' in this period, you will not disrupt the continuous flow of the continuum. As long as you never existed in one plane, you can travel there."

The raven-haired male's eyes were in swirls and his mouth was hanging open again. His brain shut down and tried to reboot. Imaginary sparks and smoke came out from his ears. He just malfunctioned. "I… ugh… wha…?" The Demon King sighed then facepalmed. He should've known this would happen. He had learned that Rin can be slow when it comes to technicalities. Between the Okumura twins, Yukio inherited all of the book-smarts they could get. Rin got the practicalities.

He gave Rin some time to process things, along with another cup of tea that appeared out of nowhere. After a few minutes, the teen finally registered what he said. He crossed his legs. "Say, clown. What's your relationship with Klaud? She told me to come here and I met you."

Mephisto's smirk came back. "You see, my current alias is Johann Faust III. I'm an official from the Central and one of its council members. I know your mentor along with the other Generals because I always see them during conferences." Hearing about his position made the younger spit his tea out. Really, the clown… a high-ranked Central officer? It shouldn't be much of a surprise since the demon was an honorary Knight back in the future and the Grigori also trusted him (in a way). Him being so close (yet so far) to Rin's organization was the thing that surprised him. All this time, the older could've been observing him instead of helping out. And the blond-haired General knew him, too.

A thought entered his mind. "Are _you_ the reason why Klaud told me to be a Finder?"

The demon hummed. "It was a suggestion, actually. I thought that you should have more experience of what being an Order Exorcist is about, sort of like a hands-on cram school lesson. After all, Order Exorcists and True Cross Exorcists work differently. While the Order is in the midst of the Holy War, True Cross is not pressurized by it." Rin snorted. As if. He probably did it for his own amusement. He treated life like a game.

He faked a sneeze. "Sorry, I'm allergic to bullshit." Mephisto sent him a slightly irritated glare, smirk still plastered on his face. Bastard.

"What are you supposed to do now?" Rin asked, a bit weary. He was damn tired. The raven-haired male travelled across several countries only to end up finding the older man in Klaud's place. Why was his mentor so difficult? Wait… now that he thought about it, _all_ of the Generals were hard to deal with— including Tiedoll and Yeegar, though a bit subdued than the others. To him, it looked as if giving the Order a hard time was a requirement to become a General. Or maybe they were treated similarly by their predecessors so every single one decided to be an ass and take it out on the next generation.

"I think you mean _we_," He corrected. "Anyways, you'll just have to wait until we get there." Mephisto stood up and brought out his trusty umbrella. The ex-demon's eye twitched. What was with villains and umbrellas? The Earl had Lero and the True Cross principal was _sort_ of like an antagonist because he was the one pulling the strings from behind the scenes… seriously. And then he remembered that Yashiro guy from a manga called 'K'. He was the hero, but his body previously belonged to his enemy; therefore, the umbrella he used was the villain's, too.

The older demon broke Rin's trail of thoughts when he waved his umbrella in the air. "Eins, zwei, drei~!" The tip of the brolly shone and the pair were gone, leaving pink-colored smoke in their wake.

Mephisto didn't pay for the room, too. He really is a demon.

* * *

Rin coughed as the smoke cleared. When he opened his eyes, the clown and he were in an abstract-looking place; similar to the hallways of his cram school. Unlike the aformentioned place, there was only one door— and it was at the end of the corridor. He saw Mephisto heading there and he immediately stood up from his place on the floor and scurried after.

"Oi, where is this?" He asked.

Mephisto waved him of with his left hand; the other held a key inserted to the knob. "Don't be so impatient." And he twisted it, unlocking the door. After a click was heard, the entrance changed. Instead of the brown door they found, it became a pure white one. The Demon King opened it.

A bright light came out. The raven-haired Exorcist shielded his eyes. "Wha—" A hand grabbed his wrist and pulled him along. When the ex-demon opened his eyes, he was surprised to see the both of them in a _very_ different place.

It looked like a town from the south. Pristine, buildings painted in white that was almost blinding had entered his vision. The paths were covered with cobble stones and he even saw a couple of doves flying in the distance. There was a tower in the distance, too. The entire place was spotless!

Rin gaped at the beautiful view of the village. "Where are we and what are we doing here?"

"This is Noah's Ark. Breath-taking, isn't it?" The demon smirked. "And for your second question, let's just say we're here to assist a certain acquaintance of mine." With a wave of his umbrella, Mephisto was covered in pink smoke. When it cleared, a small, fluffy, Scottish terrier took his place. He glanced up at the younger male and walked away, gesturing at the other to follow him.

The teen scratched the back of his head, sighing in exasperation. "Does Klaud even know we're here?"

"Nope."

He blinked. "You're still an insufferable bastard, I guess."

"Why, thank you. I do try."

* * *

In a black version of the Ark, the Millenium Earl and his most loyal companion, Lulubell, were in the control room. The fatso was making preparations for the download of the original white Ark. His ears twitched before his grin widened drastically, but a dark aura surrounded his form. The blond-haired woman became alert. "What is wrong, Master?"

"Ah, it seems that we have extra actors in the Ark. They could jeopardize our plans. Please dispose of the meddlers."

Lulubell used Road's key on a random door, transforming it into the Noah of Dreams' red and black checkered gateway. After opening it, she shifted back into her cat form before meowing goodbye at her beloved Master.

When he was sure that the Noah of Lust was gone, the Earl gritted his teeth in anger. He didn't know how it happened, but he had a pretty fair idea on who the trespassers were. There were a few people on the Order's side that became stubborn thorns, refusing to be removed. He had written their names in the Cell Roron card that Tyki had and said Noah had killed everyone except for a few. The significant persons were Allen Walker, Cross Marian, Klaud Nyne, a guy named Rivelion Adelein Egin and the one he truly hated from the bottom of his heart…

The incident with Allen Walker was one thing, but this certain thorn proved to be the most loathsome of them all. His Tyki-pon had often reported to have killed the man countless times, but he had survived the assaults—

Every.

Single.

Time.

He slammed his hands on the piano keys as he muttered the name under his breath. "Mephisto Pheles, just when are you going to die and let my plans be?"

* * *

Mephisto and Rin were standing in front of a random building, waiting for the clown's ally. The raven-haired Exorcist kicked some pebbles, clearly bored out of his mind. He paced around until he couldn't take it anymore. "When is your 'acquaintance' coming?"'

Just as he said that, a portal opened in the middle of the road. A red-haired man exited. For a split second, the ex-demon swore he saw a white blur come out from it, too, but didn't ponder further since neither the principal nor the mystery man had said anything. He blinked as the redhead knelt to the dog's level.

"Fucking jester, you still prance off looking like a gay dog?"

The Demon King's smirk remained plastered on his face. He didn't seem fazed by the other's insult, but the twitch of his eyebrow said otherwise.

"And you're the same foul-mouthed punk I met years ago."

At that moment, flames seemed to envelop the two. He sweatdropped at the sight. They were in the middle of a crisis here (as Mephisto had informed him while killing some time) and the pair were stuck in their own world. He didn't notice them sharing smirks, nor the knowing glances they shot at the unsuspecting teen. They nodded at each other before whispering in hushed tones.

"Rin." Said male snapped up in attention after hearing his name.

"What is it?"

"This is Cross Marian. I'm sure Klaud had told you about him." The teen blinked at the red-haired man that gained imaginary sparkles, appearing to anticipate whatever words his mentors had used to describe him. Wait… this was the womanizer who ran off in a mission four years ago? The General reassessed him, sweeping his eyes over his form from top to bottom.

"Heh, you're not half-bad for a filthy brat, but not much of a masterpiece such as I," Cross boasted. "So what did my Klaud tell you about me?"

He laughed shakily. "Well, she said that you were… a gambling, womanizing, no-good drinking bastard for an Exorcist who only became a General because of power and sheer luck." Instead of being offended, the redhead had the gall to laugh boisterously at his statement. He had his trademark lady-killer smile on his face.

"Ah, that Klaud, always playing hard-to-get." Rin sweatdropped even more at the sight of the older man daydreaming… and was that drool?! _'This guy's delusional!'_

He cleared his throat before the man would indulge himself in one of his sick, perverted fantasies. "Err… so what are we going to do now?" That seemed to work as the red-haired General didn't look dazed anymore. The man mumbled about cock-blockers and some hot action, or something like that. The raven-haired Exorcist turned a dark shade of green and blue and all the colors that should never mix together.

Cross was now officially a downright psycho in his books.

"It's not 'we', dumbass," He drawled. "it's only me. _You_ are going to get your sorry ass to distract the Noahs while I'm gone. The fucking jester'll be enough to guide you around the Ark." The man placed a finger on the top of his mask that covered the entirety of the right side of his face. The white mask morphed into something dark that camouflaged his whole head. Rin gaped in disbelief as the man took the appearance of some orc-like creature.

"Cool!" He may be an ass but the ex-demon had to admit that the General had neat tricks under his sleeves.

"I'll head to the Akuma factory. You can get the hell out of my divine presence now, fools!" And he guffawed as he left the vicinity. The pair sighed. Mephisto shook his head, vexed by the man's actions. He stared up at his half-brother. "Well then, I guess it's time to wait for the enemies to reveal themselves to us."

The Demon King did not pay heed to the shadow trailing after them.

It wasn't hindering their mission, so he'll simply ignore it for now.

* * *

A shadow had infiltrated the Black Order Headquarters. It swept along the corridors, heading straight for a specific room. The Finders and scientists who were passing by didn't notice a thing. If it had run into an Exorcist, maybe someone would've noticed it. The black blur continued its venture, finally reaching a large oak door in a matter of minutes.

It slipped under the entrance and headed to the side of a bed which was situated further from the rest. The nurses, the Matron, an elderly man, and a grown brown-haired man didn't realize that someone or _something_ had breached the premises. Once the shadow was looming over an unconscious teen on the bed, it opened its mouth and wisps of pink light had flown out of the male's body.

The shadow continued its deed and sucked in every last ounce of Dark Matter from the patient. It whipped its head sideways to see if anyone had seen it, and none did. The coast was clear. It then morphed into the wall and vanished from sight.

When it left, the teen's hand twitched under the covers.

* * *

Lulubell sighed as she used her binoculars to look for the intruders. She already heard some yelling from the buildings behind her, which probably meant that Lero had successfully abducted their targets. She faintly heard the Earl's voice as well. He was probably saying something about their death or so.

The black-haired woman sighed. It would've been easier to search for the pesky rats if Mimi was still around, but _noooo_… the damned Exorcists felt the needto kill her beloved dragon-like Akuma. The maid was her favorite, too. She was not only loyal to the Earl and herself, she was also an excellent servant who far exceeded their expectations when performing her daily tasks and Akuma missions.

She transformed back into a cat. There was no sign of the enemies around. They might be in a different part of the Ark. Just as she left to explore the town some more, a white-haired boy smiled in a random alley. The Noah was gone, and his plan worked. He pressed himself further into the wall as Mephisto and Rin walked by. His eyes softened when he saw the raven-haired teen. _'No matter what happens, I will protect him.' _

He pulled out a blank piece of paper from his pocket and placed his finger after he unfolded it. Pink light gathered at his fingertips as his arm pulsed in power.

"Abara… Ura… Masagarato… Fumigara… Drui."

Lightning shot out from his forefinger and struck the center spot-on. Peculiar symbols and lines appeared on the paper and extended to the floor, the wall, and all parts of the area. Invisible mist covered the surroundings. Once it was done, the symbols faded away. The albino stood up, left the paper, and stalked the half-brothers. His eyes swept across the vicinity and caught a glimpse of a black cat in the horizon. He gazed back at the two and nodded to himself.

"This should do the job."

To the naked eye, they would only see empty streets and corners. However, to the male's vision, he can clearly see them. The mist from before had cloaked the place with an illusion until at least five kilometers away from the focus point— the paper.

He would just have to cover up more areas later.

* * *

Back in the Order, Komui stayed in the infirmary; checking in on the confined Exorcists.

He was greeted by the sight of a resting elderly man and a burly brown-haired man with a dextrose attached to his left hand. The Chinese scientist waved at the two grown men. "Hello, General Yeegar, Suman. How do you feel?"

"Ah, Suman is being released today. It won't be long until I am also discharged," The man laughed heartily.

Since the Noah attack on Yeegar, he had been paralyzed because his nervous system was messed up by Road after she played with his mind. His back, in which she had carved words on with her candles, was gradually healing with a couple hundred stitches. It was a good thing that he had been unconscious when they did it.

The aforementioned brown-haired man grinned as the nurses removed his dextrose and bandages. When he had been freed, he flexed his right arm. He looked at their supervisor. "When will I be allowed on missions again?"

Komui discreetly gve a fleeting look towards the Head Nurse. She was shaking her head in exasperation. He also heard her mumbling about 'careless Exorcists' and stuff. He sighed, silently agreeing with the Matron. Why were the Exorcists suicidal and hard to themselves at some extent? …except for his dear, sweet, precious Lenalee.

Of course, he was simply deluding himself with his sister-complex.

"Well," He rubbed his chin in thought. "I'll give you some after a week or so. You have been confined for quite some time. You need to train yourself back into tip-top shape before I let you out on the field again." He smiled at them. It was a good day. Not only that the General was recovering at a fairly fast pace, Suman had fully healed and was being discharged to boot.

"I see."

Silence descended between them.

For a few moments, everything was completely quiet until they heard a groan from the other side of the room. There was a chorus of gasps and shuffles at the sight. The three men gaped when they saw what was happening. The nurses had scrambled to an isolated bed. They carried face towels, a basin filled with water, and all other medical necessities.

A pair of violet eyes shot open and the owner sat up. Komui's smile widened. It was a good day, indeed. When Cross's and Tiedoll's teams come home, this calls for a celebration!

"W-Where— why am I in the infirmary? Where's the Noah guy I was fighting?!"

Daisya had awakened.

* * *

_All pieces have fallen into place._

_A wild card enters the fray._

_Auguste makes his move._

_The cursed pierrot retaliates._

_._

_What happens now?_

_._

_Whatever the ending may be,_

_It will certainly change the world as we know it._

—_**Act I, End.**_

* * *

**Did you guys like today's chapter?**

**Anyways, I made up the "Abara Ura" stuff. It was supposed to go on like "Abara Ura Masagarato On" or something like that. The mystery woman's chant is not mine, I copied it off the GBA/PSP game **Yggdra Union**. It's a strategy game, if you guys didn't know. They have awesome-sounding chants so I took one of them. I COMPLETELY DISCLAIM IT!**

**Also, I've finally incorporated all the characters that I need to insert. With Yeegar, Suman, and Daisya alive and kicking, the storyline would very much deviate a lot from DGM canon. Rin's arrival really mixed up their lives. At least they survived. **

**So most of you are probably trying to kill me for the cliffhanger (and the never-ending vague hints on who the mystery characters are), and are also probably glaring daggers at your monitor for trying to figure out why the fuck Leverrier is acting like a sentimental old geezer with his photo of Rin. And how the fuck did he get said cute and hot half-demon's picture? Well… that's a story for another chapter.**

**Continue to send your votes, people. I really don't know what to do with the romance thing.**

**Ciao ciao~! -Flonne.**


	5. Ch 4: Interlude

**So sorry for the late update, people!**

**I still haven't finished **The Destroyed Destroyer **nor my KHR two-shot (or three) **A Bachelor's Tale**, but I did post the next chapter of **Changing our Future** and my Kurobas & DRRR! x-over, **Miracles Do Exist**. I gave my brain a two-week break but midterms came up (I'm supposed to study for my major subjects right now), and I became severly deprived of my daily dose of anime stuff (and yaoi) *sob***

**I was veeeerrryyyy busy then so I only posted this today. I already finished a draft on what would happen in this story and managed to visualize the ending. Haha, it's going to be fun~! I estimate that there will be at least 14 or so chapters, because I will write interludes if I'm taking my sweet time writing the Act chapters.**

**I'm also linking my one-shots **Endless Cycle **and **Those Left Behind **to today's chappie. Why? I just felt like it. The fanon conclusion: **Blue & White can be connected to EC & TLB, but the two can't be related to B&W**. Get it?**

**As for the poll results:**

Allen/Rin or Rin/Allen - 7

No pairings - 6

**So yaoi's in the lead by one point, but the poll is not over! Everyone hasn't voted yet. Please, please, please *puppy-dog eyes* vote so I can finally insert and/or remove romance from this little baby.**

**I didn't include the mystery characters nor did I include Mephisto earning his future self's memories, because frankly, it would ruin the element of surprise. I have something else for that. This is also shorter than my previous updates because this is a FILLER CHAPTER.**

**R & R.**

**Enjoy~!**

* * *

**~Interlude~**

_**The Jester's Story**_

* * *

Before the Great Fall, before God had decided to create Man, even before anything was actually created…

God was lonely. He was the only one in his sanctuary. There had been a time when other gods were around, but after the Retribution—a war between all the immortals—he had been the sole survivor. He was left behind.

To fill the void in his heart, he created the angels: beings made from pure holy energy. All had pairs of beautiful wings; each one bearing different colors. Gold and silver, black and white… it was an array of rainbows fluttering in God's golden sky. His most loyal angels, the upper echelon of Heaven's choir, loved him more than anyone. They regarded him as their sole master.

Eventually, God felt alone again. Sure his angels were always around and doted upon him, but since he gave them a slice of free will (a very, very microscopic slice, almost non-existent), they didn't spend much of their time to talk with the Creator; opting to socialize with their fellow angels, instead. The omnipotent being didn't hate them for his unintentional alienation— he just decided to give life to more creations.

And when it had been announced that God would create Man, their peaceful lives shattered.

* * *

Samael was a purple-haired angel with an impressive set of wings, all three pairs glowing a beautiful shade of azure. He bore many names in his life: Samael, Sammael, Satanil, Samil, Seir, Salmael, and many others. It all bore the same meaning— 'Sam' meaning 'poison' and 'el' meaning 'angel'.

He was the son of Lucifer the Morning Star (yes, angels can reproduce); God's most precious angel. He had been a faithful servant of God, belonging to the exclusive choir for Seraphims. There were many tales of him, such as he being the chief ruler of the 5th circle of Heaven, or that he resided in the 7th circle otherwise. He was one of the seven regents of the world served by two million Lesser Angels.

He had been the Angel of Death, bringing the end of life to all beings except his Creator, who existed in a different plane of reality. Contrary to popular belief, only gods, such as the Great One, are immortal. Everyone else is capable of dying. They either had longer lifespans, or there were specific methods to kill them.

As the feared Bringer of Death, his life had been sad and dull. Instead of thriving with life like all other angels, he was left with the duty of bringing death and despair. It made him feel different. It made him disappointed in himself, knowing that his only ability was to end a life. He felt bitter.

When the Almighty One had announced that he would create Man, Samael had been furious.

Why was he the only one to handle the end of life?

Why do those mortals receive free will, to choose whether or not they could start or end life?

_Just who did they think they were?_

And so, when his father rebelled and asked him to join, he agreed within a heartbeat.

* * *

"Samael, Angel of Death, Angel of the Kermes Oak, ruler of—" He already droned out as the ass-kisser (hypocritical stuck-ups that they were) listed all of his titles. The Angel of Death long lost his interest in whatever Heaven had to offer. He no longer gave a damn on what anyone else had to say. Why should he, when they never accounted his feelings after being given his angelic task. Besides, their allegiances didn't matter at this moment; all angels were to be judged, rebel or not, to prevent future conflicts.

He was pulled out of his thoughts when God spoke.

"Do you choose to swear loyalty to the throne, or do you choose banishment from Heaven for all eternity?"

Why did he even bother to ask? The answer was obvious. He was an omnipotent being, wasn't he? He should've known what he would say. There was no way he would obey. He was going to defy their natural order.

"I'd rather rot in eternal damnation than stay in your so-called 'absolute paradise'." There was a chorus of gasps and the purple-haired angel had an inkling feeling that his father was proud, somewhere in the crowd.

Samael watched as the Creator had condemned him and all the other angels. He saw their panicked faces, and how their wings were ripped. His was, too; and _damn_, it hurts like a bitch. There was one thing he didn't understand, though.

Why would they be so devastated that the guys up in Heaven had left them to fend for themselves? They should've been aware of the consequences when they joined forces with Lucifer. Besides, they finally have free will. They could do whatever they wanted, whether the Almight One approved of them or not. It was like, a blessing in disguise.

Well… there was the issue of their ears becoming pointy, their canines getting longer; basically, most of them got uglier, but didn't really deviate that much from their original appearance— that wasn't the point.

The fallen angel thought that the others should be grateful.

Hence, from that moment on, Samael renamed himself as Mephistopheles (who eventually divided his name into two after learning about the human's trending which they called 'surnames'; why did they thought up of such things, they were so strange), the Demon King of Space and Time.

When they arrived in Gehenna (or Hell), they soon learned why it was an isolated dimension like Heaven was. The remnants of Retribution were all dumped into the realm. The evils of the gods in the pre-Angel era were locked up in there and it also twisted the local residents of Gehenna, called demons. And the evil of 'God' was the greatest of them all. Who knew that he became badass and opposed to his own beliefs at one point?

It was such an interesting realm, Mephisto supposed.

* * *

_"Samael, do you regret coming with me to Gehenna?"_

_Blue flames flickered hesitantly as the jester-like Demon King raised an eyebrow at him. Lucifer, now named Satan, was rare to act like that._

_"It's Mephisto, and the Creator can kiss my ass goodbye, Father."_

_The flames grew intense in pride and joy._

_"Well said, my son, well said."_

* * *

Humans were fickle, hypocritical creatures, Mephisto mused. Noah included.

Superhuman or whatever they call themselves, despite their ashen skin and inhumane powers, they were still _human_. They live, they bleed, they die. They have emotions and they criticize like any other human on Earth.

_God's true apostles?_ Psh. He's never heard of a more absurd lie than that.

These mortal… creatures (the Demon King considers every living thing, except for Earth plants which were very unlike Gehenna's plants that were monsters, as such) had very black hearts, even blacker than your everyday demon. However, it is because of the Creator's wishes that they should at least have a single shred of 'white'. The jester-like demon often referred to their 'God' as simply the Creator, for he long ago gave up the notion of the Almighty as his subject of reverence.

But he wasn't here to talk about that. He was here to think about the humans.

"Humans are always captured by the past. That's what makes them foolish and beautiful," He often said.

It was true. They say that the wise learns from history, and that fools learn from experience. And since probably almost every human being always dug out their forgotten pasts, he concluded that they were appreciative of what has transpired; whilst remaining stupid for knowing the consequences.

It was this very same reason that drew him towards the patriarch of the Noah family like bees to honey. There was something in the man's gold eyes that intrigued him. Maybe it was his thirst for knowledge, maybe it had been his defiant nature that lead him into trouble, or maybe it had been his unconditional love for the Creator in spite of being kicked out of the Garden of Eden. Either way, Adam, the world's first _Man_, had piqued his curiosity. He didn't go out much from Gehenna, but he was truly intrigued by the enigma they call Man. Because of that, he abused his powers to jump in and out of Hell as he pleased.

Adam was obedient towards the Creator. He followed his every order. He had been a good creation, always trying to please his master, God. It wasn't until he had a taste of love and passion that his views on God changed. Adam's first wife, contrary to popular belief, was Lilith; now a demon. Nevertheless, Adam loved her wholeheartedly, setting aside the fact that she'd been lured in the Devil and had become evil. When Lilith had been sent to deepest pits of Hell (and eventually became his wife along with many others), it had been the first time he saw _anger_ and _hate_ manifest in God's supposedly 'perfect' creation.

However, Man didn't act on it and believed that _God knows best_. At that time, Mephisto wanted to smack some sense into the creation's head and show him their bitter past. But he couldn't blame him. It wasn't Adam's fault that he didn't know his 'God' became evil at one point, and had locked it all away in an alternate dimension.

When Eve came, things changed drastically.

If Adam loved Lilith with all his heart, he _adored_ even the ground that Eve stepped on.

The woman was perfect. She was beautiful, kind, and smart— just like Lilith. The difference? Eve was defiant as well, but she had been _too_ willful. When Lucy (a loving nickname that Mephisto gave for his father, Lucifer a.k.a. Satan) approached her, unlike in the Bible, she was fully aware of the consequences that would happen if she dared defy the Creator.

That didn't stop her.

She was too free for her own good.

Eve yearned for liberty; a will of her own to do things as she wanted, not as 'God' had chosen. She wanted to create her own path and not blindly follow her Creator's desires. She didn't take kindly on the fact that everything she would do in life has been pre-ordained.

No.

Never.

And so, when given the opportunity, she took it.

She ate the apple and had dragged Adam along in the process. Adam and Eve had been cast out of Eden. The concept of Original Sin was born.

It wasn't much of a big deal for her, though. When they had been banished, she had been happier than ever. She was finally aware of many things. She gained worldly knowledge after being cast away. Adam, too. Unlike her, Adam still had an ounce of faith in the Lord. When they had their sons, Cain and Abel, he influenced them to become followers of God. Sadly, Eve's defiant nature had been inherited by Cain. Well, add to the fact that Mephisto impregnated Eve one night… she thought he was Adam. The Demon King couldn't blame himself. The woman had been far too attractive for her own good. It was a good thing that Cain took after his mother's looks.

During those days, Mephisto continued to watch over them.

When Cain killed Abel, it was then that Mephisto had been hooked to watching over the humans. He petitioned to Satan to let him go, much to Lucy's chagrin. The greatest fallen angel wasn't really against God, but he was a bit wary yet curious of Man. And so, the Demon King of Space and Time was permitted to observe the fickle creatures.

He had to admit, it was fun to see evil manifest in humans. This development wasn't surprising because the Creator's dark side was seeping out of Gehenna— the dimension where he locked it in. Lucy, in his angel days, had been the unfortunate sap that came across it during his daily strolls. Honestly, the Morning Star was not bad; but only led a rebellion against 'God' after feeling betrayed when he saw the 'evil'. Michael, Lucy's brother, did not believe him; completely blinded by his love for the Creator.

It didn't end well.

After being sent to Gehenna, Lucy proceeded to guard the evil, but nothing could stop it from twisting their hearts and ideals until one day, majority of fallen angels bore innocent malices. Mephisto decided that he didn't like the sight. The realm was wasting away. His younger half-brother, Amaimon, was not much of an entertainment.

* * *

_"Amaimon, when you close your eyes and think of the world, what do you see?"_

_The green-haired Demon King of the Earth snorted at his elder half-brother's question._

_"I hardly think that it is important for me to answer, Brother."_

_Mephisto slightly pouted at his answer._

_"Boo, party-pooper."_

_"And they say you're the older and more mature one." Amaimon proceeded to pick his ear, saw a small blotch (more like a huge spot) of rotting brown on his finger, and flicked it towards a group of vain female demons who shrieked in disgust at getting earwax on their hairs._

_The elder demon rolled his eyes at the other's antics._

_At least he observed proper hygiene and etiquette, unlike his green-haired brother._

* * *

Many years eventually passed, and the jester decided to check in on his humans.

When he came, he was just in time to see Abraham sacrifice his son for 'God'. That made his blood boil in anger. How dare these pathetic lowlives throw away whatever they had and offer it to the Creator! He held the older man back and manipulated the events to his liking. Though Abraham (and his son Isaac, in the near future) would become a loyal devout of 'God', he would surely bring grade A amusement to the jester.

The second time he came back, it was flooding on Assiah (or Earth). Adam's reincarnation, Noah, had come across Dark Matter (a chunk of 'evil' from Gehenna) and succumbed to its powers. He started a rebellion against 'God' and created an interdimension Ark along with his family. However, Noah was very different from Adam, his incarnation. Noah believed in another 'God', the manifestation of Dark Matter, and proclaimed that the Creator was a false one. The Creator made the Cube, which contained Innocence, to counter the problem.

The legendary Three Days of Darkness came to happen.

Because Noah and his family, along with the Innocence, became dormant after the clash, Mephisto retreated back to Gehenna. There was nothing interesting about the humans until a few milleniums later, the Creator's son was born— who also happens to be the bearer of the Heart of Innocence for that generation.

It had been a fun thing to watch. He had to commend the demigod (technically, the Creator's son was such) for his sacrifice and eternal love for humans. It wasn't everyday that you meet a person whose 'white' was more dominant than his 'black', demigod or not. Adam's newest reincarnation, Judas, was also present; and he was also the Demon King's victim when said jester-like demon disguised himself as an angel.

Because of his growing boredom, Mephisto often abused his powers into sneaking in and out of Gehenna and sometimes, disguising himself as an angel to trick the unsuspecting mortals. Judas was just one of the poor, unlucky saps that came across the demon during his 'angel trips' (like Esau, for one. That guy truly believed he was a Celestial host. Which he was, until the Great Fall, of course). It brought him such glee that humans distrusted each other yet were very trusting of the unknown, if they didn't fear it.

* * *

_"Why not make a contract with me and take over your group?"_

_Judas was his nintieth or so victim for the past century. Humans never ceased to entertain him._

_"But I…!"_

_Feigning a sympathetic expression, the demon proceeded to dissuade the other's conviction. Just a little more push and the human would be made putty in his hands._

_"Don't you want to scorn the fate which 'God' had bestowed upon your colleagues? Are you going to join them in their ignorance and die, instead of saving your life so you could spread the teachings to others? If you die now, all of your efforts would be in vain."_

_That was it for the man. He saw the guy's form stop shaking, a determined gleam appearing in his eyes._

_"T-Then, give me the p-power to d-do it. I command you, Mephisto Pheles!"_

_Hook. Line. Sinker._

_"Very well. And in exchange, _I will have your soul._"_

_In the end, the demon didn't get Judas's soul. Lucy confiscated it before the jester could lay even a finger on it. He pouted for weeks after that._

* * *

Mephisto had always been a part of the hidden history in many forms, just to watch the events that will unfold and the humans that had proved to be interesting.

His most prominent entertainment (besides Adam and _a lot_ of philosophers), was a man named Heidrich Faust (whose surname he also borrowed). At that time, Mephisto made a bet with 'God': he was to lure Faust, the Creator's favorite human, away from righteous pursuits.

It wasn't very hard; Faust recently turned to studying magic (black magic, mind you) for infinite knowledge, and was failing at it. Along the way, Faust had been in love with some woman named Margaret, and she became his downfall. It was amusing to know that man's weakness was a woman. During his last breath, the jester had to thank him for the great deal of theatrics he provided. It was at that time that Mephisto decided to take the man's name and directly join the scenes. Hell, he even disguised himself as a human and penned a story about Faust!

He was just that interesting. The jester didn't regret striking a deal with him.

Exactly seven thoudand years after the Three Days of Darkness, Adam had been reborn as… well… _himself_. His name was Adam Walker. _How befitting the name was,_ the demon thought every time. And unlike his previous incarnations, Mephisto made sure he inherited his first life's memories, triggering the events that would soon lead to the so-called 'Holy War'.

Because Adam was unable to let go of the past, he detested the Creator and started to generate machines called Akuma. There was one remarkable Akuma, too, whose name was Robin. An Akuma and Innocence combining together… ha! What a grand joke, it was; it was the ultimate form of taboo— combining holy artifacts with a product of necromancy.

An unholy smirk appeared on the jester's face. It was time to spice up the war.

* * *

One by one, the members of the Noah family (or clan) reunited. Mephisto made sure of it. Otherwise, the so-called Holy War would not be worth his time.

He helped all disciples to gain the memories of their past lives by manipulating the events around them. Once he managed to set a _very_ important scenario, it will trigger their memories to come back. He didn't need to do anything to make Adam inherit his incarnation's mind, so everything was according to plan. All he did was leaving hints and bits of clues for the patriarch to find his 'family'.

Following him had been Tryde, or Toraido, the Second child and Noah of Judgment. His new name was Ledon and the jester was sure that his name fitted him, bearing the meaning of 'Warrior of Judgment'. Ironically (or maybe not so much), instead of being a jury or any justice-involved profession, he was a thief on the run after escaping the prison.

Next was Joyd, the Third and Noah of Pleasure, renamed as Eden Parkinson. The Demon King found it amusing that his name, meaning 'Place of Pleasure', was the memory he bore. Not only that, he had a penchant for gardening and loved plants; calling their backyard 'Garden of Eden'. The demons called it 'Garden of Amahara' instead. There was also Eden's brother, Willard, the Fourth and Noah of Desire. His original name was Dezaiasu. He simply adored another member of their family. He uses strings and manipulates a person's actions.

Then there's Favian Mendel, Crowther Evans, and Kannon Akuno. The three were the Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh disciples— representing the memories of Wisdom, Corrosion, and Pity respectively. _Nothing remarkable about them_, Mephisto noted, so he never paid any attention to the three.

The Ninth child, Road Kamelot, is the Noah of Dreams. She is Willard's person of interest, instantly proclaiming her as his cute little sister at first sight. Her powers were truly something else to the Demon King, being able to enter other's minds and create dimensional pathways. The jester planned to bring out her true potentials in the future and hopefully clash with her. It could be fun.

The Tenth and Eleventh, originally one person, were the Noah of Bonds. Their name had been Bondomu, a mix of Bondaire and Domulgara. Bondaire was the only Noah, but shared his powers to his twin Domulgara because of loneliness and feeling left out from the rest of the Noah. Now, the twins had been reborn into French girls named Liana, Liane and Anna, who were named after the memory they held.

The Twelfth disciple was that of Lust, Lustul, also named Bastet. She was an Egyptian woman who was very loyal to Adam, the Earl. She enjoyed the company of felines and is probably the embodiment of a proper lady. Mephisto took notice of her only because her actions were predictable and she could be manipulated into digging her own grave. Their Thirteenth, Maitora or Wiley, was their crafty Noah of Ability. He was the most anti-social member.

The last child was the most interesting of them all. Neah Walker, previously known as Neah D. Campbell prior to his adoption, was the Noah of Destruction, the Musician of Noah's Ark, and the _Fourteenth_. There wasn't supposed to be an extra member, but because Bondaire splitted his power into two, he became a supposedly new member. Not even the Earl himself remembered that Neah was the original Thirteenth. Honestly, they did not realize that Neah's Noah had been with them all the time, especially since _he's_ the one who controlled the Ark back in the Three Days of Darkness.

It was no problem— it only made things more interesting, after all.

Who was he to complain?

* * *

_"Ah, Neah. To what do I owe this pleasure of meeting you?"_

_The Noah of Destruction snorted at his theatrics. Mephisto was a very poetic individual; anyone could tell._

_"Spare me the drama. You know why I came here."_

_The purple-haired demon waved his finger in a 'tut-tut' manner._

_"Don't spoil my fun. I'll make sure that an Innocence fragment will end up in Roseanne's mouth."_

_The Fourteenth crossed his arms and let an amused grin grace his lips._

_"Demons make such wonderful pets."_

_The jester was sure that the ashen-skinned male wasn't talking about the carnivorous man-eating plant demon._

* * *

None of the Noah knew that Mephisto had been ally of the Fourteenth, nor did they know that he was a part of Central Administration's council; serving as the liaison between Neah, some Exorcists, and a few of Central's key members. He had been there for three generations, currently disguised as Johann Faust III.

Mephisto made sure of his moves. He wants to make his new playground better than the last one for sure. He had also orchestrated the Cube to be found by Vatican and the formation of the Black Order a hundred years ago.

First things first, he made sure that the pair from the Bookman clan would be present to record everything. Afterwards, he placed an Innocence fragment inside one of Eden's exotic flowers— he used his demon powers to sense where its Accomodator was; who had been a red-haired servant boy. He then manipulated Neah's situation by discreetly throwing out evidence that revealed the Earl's secret plans, making the Noah of Destruction commit betrayal.

Thirty-five years later, in the middle of a clash with the Destroyer of Time (who was also Bookman's first apprentice, de-aged), the Millenium Earl disappeared without a trace. No matter where Mephisto looked, the fatso was gone. Nada. Nein. Zilch. Where he went, the demon didn't care. As long as the fat man didn't interfere with his plans, then all was good.

* * *

A hundred years later, Johann Faust III became Johann Faust V. He became a confidant for Vatican's Grigori council, and an Honorary Knight for the Order of True Cross.

And Blue Night?

That was all Mephisto, too.

* * *

The jester had been feeling bored lately, _again_. Humans sure were sources of endless entertainment but the fun they provided got old. The last time he had fun, he drove Friedrich Nieztsche insane, thus, influencing Hitler and turning the German into some genocidal mass murderer with his Holocaust.

It certainly took time, but it was all worth it.

Because of the chaos he perpetrated, he managed to convince his father to roam the realm of Assiah. The Demon King wondered on what kind of amusement Lucy would give to him.

He didn't disappoint, indeed.

Lucifer became fascinated with humans and wanted to interact with them. However, all living things burned under his touch. It wasn't until he met Yuri Egin, the Cardinal's daughter (Were priests even allowed to have one, the jester often questioned himself), that he finally found his favorite human.

They did everything together.

Yuri taught Lucy about compassion and the 'white' of human nature, and in turn, Lucy told Yuri all about Gehenna, the demons, and the Great Fall. It wasn't long before the two fell in love and had kids.

Oh, how gleeful Mephisto had been.

His father, probably considered to be the most cold-hearted demon of all, fell in love with a human woman and got her pregnant.

This was gold— priceless!

He definitely had to somehow influence the scenarios as to make this event more exciting.

Mephisto lead Yuri's colleague, Fujimoto Shiro (or Shiro Fujimoto, in English), into finding their hiding place; trigerring each and every possible occurrence that would cause Blue Night to happen.

Yuri's father, Ernst Frederick Egin, was an easily controlled man— he was made putty in Mephisto's hands.

* * *

After that, everything fell into place.

Shiro struck a deal with him regarding Lucy's twin spawns. The older twin's demonic powers were sealed into Kurikara, a demon-slaying sword.

As time passed by, Rin unlocked his powers little by little. Rin eventually unleashed them, with Shiro's demise involved in the process.

Just then, the half-demon announced his dream to the world (not really); and it was the funniest thing that the jester heard in his entire existence.

_"I will become an Exorcist!"_

And somehow, when he learned about his father-figure's background, he said the second funniest thing that the clown ever heard. He truly made Mephisto's day with his antics.

_"I will become the Paladin!"_

When Rin had become an exwire, he got involved in a lot of entertaining events. He managed to make Lucy come to Assiah, _twice_— Mephisto only got him to do that, once.

The black-haired half-demon also got to cause a great shift in the Gehenna War. That was the best day in the Demon King's life.

Things were truly going well, that is, until the Millenium Earl appeared after an entire century.

* * *

"My playground…"

The jester watched the Earl and his horde of Akuma completely obliterate the Exwire graduation of Rin's batch. So this was where he went. With the lack of Innocence, everyone was practically a walking target for the fatso. After the Holy War, the next Pope believed that Innocence was also the work of the devil and ordered the rest of the Church to destroy each and every fragment left. Hevlaska, the host of the Cube, was able to save at least a few pieces.

He didn't know how the Earl by-passed his senses when he time-travelled, but this doesn't mean that he'll let the other have his way. Maybe it had something to do with the abnormal build-up of Dark Matter back then? The fallen angel uncharacteristically lost his cool and cursed the circumstances. He should've investigated the phenomena.

If he hadn't been so careless, then the Millenium Earl wouldn't have been able to jump into the future without his knowledge. He's the Demon King of Space and Time. All travels to and from different timelines or dimensions are monitored by him. It's almost impossible to escape under the clown-like demon's nose.

In a fit of rage, he decided to get the fragment of Innocence he managed to keep from the Pope's eyes. The demon infused it with his current entertainment, Rin.

Mephisto ponders about the Millenium Earl. He hated the man for interfering with his playground— and maybe he felt a bit, a little tiny bit, of remorse in toying with a human's life.

Karma was such a bitch.

Nevertheless, the Demon King would not admit his mistake.

He used all his power to open a portal for his younger half-brother who was barely conscious because of the Innocence recently fused with his blood. His playground's wreck was his fault, but that didn't mean he had to fix it all by himself. The jester needed some help, too, begrudgingly.

"It's finally done. Don't disappoint me, brother," He murmurs while the raven-haired male wasn't looking. When the portal opened, he plastered his usual annoying smirk on his face and recited a chant to completely open the doorway. He brought out Yukio's pistols from his coat and tossed it towards the irked ex-half-demon. The portal faded away as the jester pondered on the other preparations for his revenge on the Earl.

And just this once, Mephisto would let his mask falter and mourn for whatever hardships his half-brother may face.

* * *

_Somewhere else…_

* * *

Mephisto smirked as he watched Rin struggle with his new life, facing many hardships in his childhood, training with Klaud, forgetting about a few minor details (which could have major repercussions in the future), and learning to control his Innocence.

He wouldn't reveal himself now, no. That would spoil everything. Instead, he'll pull the strings backstage and let time decide its course. He'll make that foolish human, the Millenium Earl, pay for everything. There was no way he was going to let this one slide.

Rin Okumura's tale has yet to end, and so was his.

They have only begun.

A smirk made its way on his face.

"I will make you rue the day you've crossed me, _Adam Walker_."

* * *

**There ya go! It's Mephisto's point of view pre-story. And now, you guys know he had a hand on the Earl's evilness. This chapter is the embodiment of the main idea of the DGM/AnE crossover. I made up a connection between Gehenna, God, Dark Matter, and Innocence to fit the story in canon.**

**Did you like it? Any mistakes (I'm very conscious of my grammar and spelling)?**

**Ciao ciao~! -Flonne.**


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